


Long Time Coming

by foldedpages



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged Up, Alya and Nino know, Alya ships her friends so hard, Angst, F/M, Fluff, I just want Adrien to be safe and loved and well fed, Letadrieneat2k16, MY CHILDREN ARE IDIOTS, Marichat, Nino is long suffering, Slow Burn, adrien is made of sunshine, adrienette - Freeform, bit of Violence, blood mention, i have abused the cat, i hurt my children, im such trash, lots of akumas, papa agreste is still a terrible dad, the kids are so oblivious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 12:06:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 45,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7617466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foldedpages/pseuds/foldedpages
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrien has moved out on his own in order to pursue his own interests. For some reason, Hawkmoth is being particularly vindictive, with a new akuma every day, and it's wearing our superheroes out. Meanwhile, Alya and Nino are worried about their friends. *the drama*</p><p>**not Season 2 compliant**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien takes control of his life

The pattern began the day after Adrien Agreste moved into his very first apartment.

It wasn't a large place, though he could have afforded one with his recently acquired control over his finances. It was snug, and he was pleased with that; he was so tired of being alone in large, open spaces. He wanted a smaller space, and he wanted to fill it with things that made him feel warm and safe.

He would have liked a roommate, and Nino was more than willing to volunteer, but Adrien felt like would be safer for his alter ego if he had a place all to himself. And besides, baby steps, right? He was used to being alone. He did, however, provide Nino with a key and an open invitation provided he call first.

His furniture had all been moved in, the cable had just been connected, and he and Nino were about to begin their first ever videogame night when the tell-tale sounds of an akuma attack floated in through one of the open windows.

Adrien sighed.

“Guess the pizza delivery will be late today,” Nino said, disappointment evident in his voice.

Adrien laughed. They were more or less used to the strange magical attacks that plagued the city of Paris, and the city and her people were usually just fine thanks to Ladybug and Chat Noir’s heroics. Mostly thanks to Ladybug’s magical cure, if Adrien was honest with himself. Actually, he had no problem with his superhero persona being less important than hers. They were partners, and he loved it. He loved her. He always had.

“I could run down and get takeaway from somewhere,” Adrien suggested. He lived above shops now, and the convenience of it was astounding. “Just hang out here and call me if you see any akumas coming this way,” he told Nino as he pulled on his jacket and walked out the door.

He felt a little guilty because he had no intention of getting food…. yet. He mostly needed to be able to transform somewhere without Nino suspecting his best friend was Chat Noir.

Nino, meanwhile, definitely suspected that Adrien gallivanted around Paris as Chat Noir on an almost regular basis. He had been Adrien’s best friend for literally years and wasn't exactly blind. He did appreciate the effort his friend put into protecting him from the knowledge, though, so he had never had the heart to tell him he knew. He settled into Adrien’s very comfortable new sofa and turned on the game console. It would probably be a while before Adrien came back. He hoped the pizza would actually arrive.

Adrien came back relatively quickly, actually, his eyes bright from adrenaline and face a little flush from physical exertion. He brought two bags of groceries to share with Nino, who looked surprised and was eating a pizza that did, in fact, come. At least he wouldn't run out of food for a bit.

The akuma hadn't been difficult at all, and he and Ladybug weren't really sure why Hawkmoth even bothered with this one. Over the years, their talents had improved, but so had their enemy’s, and it was strange to have an akuma resolved so easily.

The first ever Videogame Thursday ended up being a success after all.

The akuma that struck the next night was a bit more challenging, but it was still not as challenging as they were used to. Ladybug reminded Chat not to get too comfortable with these new akumas, as if she needed to remind him of that.

The akuma that assaulted Paris the third night was more challenging than the previous two, and the duo were finally beginning to catch on. Something strange was happening. Three akumas in three nights was surprising. Usually there were no more than three in a week.

By the time Nino let himself into Adrien’s apartment on the following Thursday, there had been seven akumas in seven days, each more challenging than the one before. Nino had come over a bit early because his friend wasn't answering his text messages, and he wanted to make sure he was okay.

Adrien was fine. Exhausted, but fine. Nino found him sprawled out on his bed, face buried into a pillow.

“You know it's two in the afternoon, right?” Nino asked, startling his sleeping friend awake.

Adrien’s head jerked up, and he looked at Nino like he had never seen him before. “What?”

“It's two in the afternoon. I came by early to hang out. Kinda surprised you're still sleeping. Sorry, man.”

Adrien smiled and assured him that it was okay. Stretching, he rolled out of bed. “Just enjoying not having such a rigid schedule, I guess.”

“Dude, I am happy for you. Has your dad talked to you at all since you told him you were moving out?”

Adrien’s shoulders slumped a little. “No, but he didn't talk to me much to begin with, so it might not be personal.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Nino replied awkwardly, unsure of what else to say. Following Adrien to the kitchen, he said, “hey, you think I should invite Alya and Marinette over for tonight? They like video games.”

“You can if you want. I know you miss your girlfriend,” Adrien teased.

“You never object to seeing Marinette, either,” Nino reminded him.

“Of course not. She’s nice. We’re friends.” After a beat, he added, “but you know my heart belongs to someone else.” He laughed when he realized that Nino had mouthed the words along with him because he had heard them so often.

“Man, Marinette might not be Ladybug, but she's a nice girl, and she's always liked you. Give her a chance, why don't you.”

Adrien smiled indulgently at his friend as he snacked on some hazelnut bread he acquired at the very bakery Marinette’s parents own. Her parents loved him, and he has never been sure why, but he likes to go visit now and then.

“I like her,” he reassured Nino. “I just don't...I'm not good with… Look, I just got control of my life, okay? Small steps. Freedom first. Then maybe girls.”

“Maybe?”

“Maybe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm excited about this one, so I hope you like it! Feedback is always appreciated.


	2. They Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The onslaught of akumas begins

Alya made approving noises as she looked around Adrien’s new flat. She opened all the doors - bedroom, bathroom, gym room, closets, the third room meant for a roommate if he ever got one. “Boy, I don't think you really understand the word small. This apartment is not small.” She laughed. “It's nice, though. I like it. Brought you a little housewarming gift.”

She thrust a small, flat, hastily-wrapped package into his hands, and he opened it carefully, as though it might dissolve in his hands. It was a framed photograph of him and his three closest friends taken by Rose at the end of their last school year together. He was touched.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “It's really nice.” He put it on the end table between the sofa and love seat and looked at it fondly.

Nino was preparing snacks in the kitchen, and both Adrien and Marinette jumped at the sound of popcorn popping in the microwave. The akuma last night had been a movie theater employee who threw giant popcorn kernels that exploded. The entire city had sounded like it was a microwave full of popcorn. They all looked at each other and laughed. Nino and Alya exchanged knowing glances, but Adrien and Marinette were oblivious.

The evening started well, with lots of food and a good-natured rivalry between players. Marinette and Adrien were too good to be on the same team, so it became girls versus boys, with the teams pretty much even.

Adrien was almost in heaven. He had control of his own space, he had friends over, there was lots of food, and they were all having fun. He had seen his lady every day for an entire week. He was tired, but content, and he felt himself smiling like an idiot. It was almost unreal.

And then there was another akuma attack. They all stopped playing and huddled near the window to see what was going on. They had a very clear view of a giant gnome terrorizing down the street.

“That…. is ridiculous. I love it,” Alya said, pulling out her phone and filming the latest akuma for the Ladyblog, which was still a pet hobby of hers. “What a great vantage point. Maybe I won't even have to run outside.”

Marinette pressed her forehead to the glass and mumbled something about there being so many akumas this week. Adrien agreed, making a hasty excuse to his friends about needing to talk to his landlord about insurance before practically running out of the apartment.

Marinette looked a bit confused for a moment and then said something vague about having to leave before she, too, disappeared.

Nino and Alya looked at each other and laughed. Alya had stopped filming before either of them made their excuses and had already begun uploading the video as an alert for Paris and its local superheroes. “I don't know why they still bother,” she said, shaking her head. “I can't believe they think we really don't know.”

“Dude,” Nino sighed. “Alya, I think they don't know.”

She looked at him seriously for a moment before laughing again. “You're probably right. I can't believe they're so oblivious. I mean, they're superheroes, right? They should notice stuff more.” Looking at Nino’s worried face, she added, “come on, they're Chat Noir and Ladybug, they'll be fine.”

“It's Adrien and Marinette I'm worried about, Alya, but you're probably right.”

From Adrien’s apartment, Nino and Alya had an excellent view of the latest akuma attack, which means they also had a pretty decent view of their two superhero friends as they battled it.

The giant gnome was surprisingly violent for a gnome, and Alya swore (not for the first time) to subtly dispose of her younger sister’s weird gnome collection. On the street, hundreds of smaller gnomes were pelting people with mushrooms. If anyone became fully covered in mushrooms, they were turned into a small gnome, and the small gnome army grew rapidly.

“This is too painful to watch,” Nino said, throwing himself onto the sofa and turning on the game console. “Let me know when it's over.”

Alya began filming again, the sound on her phone left off. “Boy, if she knew that was Adrien throwing himself in front of weirdly cute mushroom… What do you call those? Weapons? They look like they're weighing people down. Is it me or have there been some weird akumas lately?”

“They're always weird, babe,” Nino replied. “It's just that there have been a lot this week. One every day. Hawkmoth is like having a party or something.”

“Maybe it's his birthday,” Alya laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Any kind of feedback is appreciated.


	3. Oblivious Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alya upsets Marinette

The eighth akuma in eight days was a bit difficult for Ladybug and Chat Noir to take down, mostly because of the sheer number of its small akumatized victims. Chat repeatedly got swamped with gnomes and mushrooms, but he used his batons to bat them away as much as possible. He maintained his role as both distraction and protection admirably, but he had to admit he was tired by the end. He was too happy to pound fists with Ladybug and scurry off to detransform.

“Two hours,” Alya was saying when Adrien finally pushed the door open to his apartment.

“What?” Adrien asked. He had only just missed Alya explaining to Marinette that she and Nino know she's Ladybug, but he got to witness Marinette’s face turn a series of shades - from white to pink to almost greenish. That wasn't unusual for her, but normally her odd stammering and changes in color were because of something Adrien had done (or not done - he was never sure), and not because her best friend was lecturing her.

Marinette looked between Alya, who folded her arms, and Nino, who shrugged, and then she lowered her head. She took a deep breath and then looked up to offer Adrien a small smile. “H-how did your talk with the landlord go?”

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “Well,” he began, unsure of his lie until it was already coming out of his mouth. “It turns out that akuma insurance is sort of automatically included in renters insurance in Paris now, so I didn't really have much to worry about.”

“O-oh, yeah. That makes s-sense. Um. I’m going to go now, if you don't mind… Lots to do tonight… Sorry.” She stepped around Adrien but close enough for him to smell her shampoo, since his senses were still a little heightened. He watched her go with a puzzled expression on his face.

Alya threw her hands up in the air and made a frustrated noise. “We will TALK later,” she said, pointing a finger at Adrien as she ran out after Marinette. “Girl, if you think I'm letting you go home by yourself, you've got another thing coming,” she called after her friend. The door slammed behind her.

“What was that about?” Adrien asked, opening a water bottle. “Did something happen while I was gone?”

Nino looked at his friend for a long moment and then shook his head. “You missed the whole akuma battle, man. We had like… box seats. It was great.” What Nino really wanted to say was that they know, they know, and Adrien and Marinette need to have a long talk. But he just couldn't do it. “I'm staying here, tonight, dude - I mean, if you don't mind.” He wanted to make sure Adrien was okay after the akuma attack. Eight in a row was a little ridiculous, and he knew how self-sacrificing his friend could be. He worried about Adrien living with his neglectful and controlling dad, and now he worried about Adrien living alone.

“Um, yeah… Sure. I don't mind. Mind if we play another game?” He sat next to Nino on the couch and picked up a controller. He tried not to look troubled. Or tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was very small, I know! I'm sorry. The next couple are longer, but I'm trying not to upload everything I have at once so I will have time to write more


	4. Pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino can't tell Adrien the thing

Adrien woke up on the sofa with no memory of falling asleep. He could smell Nino’s particular brand of coffee, and he could hear faint music coming from Nino’s headphones as he moved quietly around the kitchen.

“Oh, hey, you're awake,” Nino said, taking off his headphones with a smile. “There's lots of Camembert in the fridge. Kinda weird but whatever. I'm making pancakes if you want some.”

Adrien stared at Nino for probably longer than he should have because Nino asked him if he was okay. “Yeah,” Adrien assured him. “I just don't remember when I fell asleep, so that's weird. I will definitely eat some pancakes though. Thank you.”

Adrien’s thank-you was so genuine that it broke Nino’s heart a bit, and Nino found himself texting Alya a short while later. _You're gonna have to tell him, babe,_ Nino texted. _I can't do it. I think he almost just cried about me making him pancakes._

Alya responded by calling, and Nino had never been so happy that Adrien was going to take a shower. “Yeah?” he whispered into the phone, checking to make sure that Adrien had closed the door to the bathroom already.

“What do you mean he almost cried about pancakes?” Alya’s voice crackled over the phone. “Is he okay?”

“Look, I've told you his home life was kinda…. nonexistent before, right? Dude just gets, uh… choked up, I guess? When people do nice things for him.”

“Like feed him?”

“Well, yeah. Anyway, I can't tell him. No way. I feel too bad. You've gotta come over and do it. Or, you know, we could just wait for him to tell us. He might eventually, who knows…”

“It's been years, Nino. Literal, actual YEARS. If we tell him we know, then he’ll know that we know, and if he ever needs to talk, we can be there for him, get it? You're the one who told me you were worried about his well being.”

“I'm always worried about that with him. But I still can't do it. How’d it go with Marinette?”

There was a short pause and then Alya sighed. “She's avoiding me? I can't get her to let me in. Or answer her phone. She's probably gone into Marinette meltdown mode.”

“Dude. There is no way I'm putting my boy through that. Nope. No how.” Even though Alya couldn't see him, Nino was shaking his head.

“Okay, okay,” she conceded. “I’m going to give it another go with Marinette and then I’ll come by and see if I have better luck with the cat.”

“Alright, dude,” Nino said when Adrien finally emerged from the hall. “I am going to work, but I left you the dishes to wash - it's only fair since I made breakfast, and, uh, if you need anything, just let me know. The record shop isn't exactly swamped with customers these days.”

“Um, thanks?” Adrien wasn't sure why Nino was being weird, but he did appreciate his friend’s concern. “See you later?”

“Peace out, my dude.” Nino left, opting not to warn Adrien that Alya might be coming over because he wanted to seem as uninvolved in that as possible.

It turned out that he didn't need to worry much because shortly after Nino arrived at his “sweet” summer job, another akuma struck the city.

That made nine in nine days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Sorry about my silly chapter titles and silly chapter descriptions, but I don't really like to give things away. :)
> 
> Any feedback is always appreciated!


	5. An Electrifying Personality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which things start to get shockingly interesting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sorry for any of the puns

“I'm not sure how Hawkmoth is keeping this up,” Tikki confessed to Marinette. They could see the akuma’s effects from Marinette’s bedroom window. “I feel sorry for his kwami.”

“Ugh, when will this end!?” Marinette groaned. She could still hear Alya tapping on the bottom of the trapdoor to her room. She hoped her parents wouldn't get involved - she didn't think Alya would tell her parents, but she wasn't even sure how Alya felt about her being Ladybug yet. She didn't want to know. Adrien had basically saved her from that part of the conversation last night, just by coming into the room. She hoped Nino hadn't told him. Eventually, she might be able to bear Alya knowing, but not Adrien. He was such a Ladybug fan and would probably be so disappointed.

“Marinette,” Tikki prompted, “we need to go deal with that akuma before it gets out of control.”

Marinette sighed, glaring at the way the sky darkened directly over the Eiffel Tower. She wondered what could be more upsetting than your best friend finding out that you are secretly her favorite superhero, and you have never told her. Lightning struck the iconic tower, and she stifled a frustrated scream. “Okay, Tikki. Spots on!”

Transformation complete, Ladybug - not Marinette - fled her bedroom into the increasingly dangerous city. By the time she arrived to face off with the akuma, she was actually in a better mood. Or she was, until she saw the familiar form of her relentless blogger of a best friend running through the streets trying to find a good (and also safe) place to get footage of this latest akuma battle. This could not get worse.

“You look _electrifying_ today, my lady,” the familiar voice of Chat Noir crooned at her.

Ladybug groaned. Maybe it could get worse. The akumatized victim was glowing brightly with bolts of lightning shooting from his fingers as though he was made of electricity. She tackled Chat to keep him from getting struck. “Why do you have to be so… easily distracted?” She asked.

Her partner blinked up at her and smiled as she pulled him to his feet. “Because you're _paw_ sitively _radiant_.”

“Get to work, kitty,” Ladybug ordered, swinging out of the way of another electrical blast.

“You're a bit _charged up_ today, aren't you?” Chat teased, keeping up with her. He wasn't really sure how to go about attacking this particular akuma. He didn't want to get shocked.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Your vision is better than mine, Chat. Tell me if you see anywhere he might be hiding an akuma.”

“Of course, Milady,” Chat purred, bounding off toward the bright glow of the akuma.

Ladybug squinted. She hadn't meant for him to get THAT close, but if they could figure out something quick, she might be able to… _is that RAIN?_ Ladybug groaned again. Of course it was raining. Why _wouldn't_ an electrified akuma be able to summon an electrical conduit?

“You can't defeat Supercharge,” the akuma announced, hovering above the quickly growing puddles.

“ _Supercharge_?” Chat repeated incredulously. “What happened? You run out of batteries?” He could feel his hair start to stand on end as he approached, and he started to pull back on instinct. The air all around him hummed with the charge. Maybe this was the wrong approach. Looking around for Ladybug, he reminded himself why it was necessary to get so close. It was hard to see anything but bright white light, and he needed to find that akuma.

Ladybug, meanwhile, had made contact with some firemen. It wasn't hard, since fire trucks often arrive at the scene of akuma attacks. They were more than willing to lend her one of their large hoses, provided she stop by the station some time in the future.

They were helping her with the first part of her plan as Chat flew over their heads and smashed into the side of the truck. The force of his impact was so strong that the truck flipped onto its side, and he rolled off into the grass. They could hear Supercharge’s tinny laughter as lighting reached down from the sky into his outstretched arm.

“Chat!” Ladybug gasped. She scrambled over the truck. “Chat!? Chat!” She kept calling his name because she couldn't think of anything else to say, and she was afraid to touch him; he was twitching, his hair was much wilder than usual, and his cat suit seemed to smoke just a little. Her stomach twisted itself in knots as she croughed down next to him. 

“That musta hurt,” one of the firefighters said. “You know, electricity uses your own body against you, so he hit that with as much force as he could possibly hit anything.” She scratched her head. “Impressive.”

“Easy, kitty,” another firefighter suggested, kneeling next to Ladybug as Chat started to open his eyes. “Easy. That was a bit rough, even for you. We've got you.” The firefighter put a hand on his shoulder while waving over some paramedics.

Chat made eye contact with Ladybug and smiled weakly. “That was _shocking_ ,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. The firefighters near enough to hear laughed.

Ladybug could feel the static in the air now, even though the akuma hadn't moved. “What did you see, Chat?” She asked, steeling herself for a solo battle.

Chat coughed, and when he spoke again, his voice was stronger. “Cell phone. He's got a cell phone in his right hand. He's channeling all that power into it.”

“Oh. Okay.” Ladybug squinted in the akuma’s direction.

“ _Watt_ do you need me to do, bugaboo?” He asked, pushing himself off the ground. He brushed off the firefighter’s hand and grinned at the paramedics. “I'm _feline_ just fine, thanks.”

Ladybug didn't roll her eyes at either of his puns this time. He looked a bit shaky on his feet, and he was covered in mud from head to toe. She was worried, but she needed him. “I'm going to call my lucky charm. I need you to try to distract him or tie him up if you can with the fire hose. Only if you're feeling up to it.”

“I'd be de _light_ ed,” Chat replied. “I am _amped_ and ready to go.” He hopped lightly over the fire truck that he overturned and snatched the hose from one closer to the akuma. Then he ran for it.

Ladybug called for her lucky charm and suddenly found herself holding a rubber yoga mat. She unraveled it and ran after Chat; to do this, she needed to be close enough to tackle. She used the mat as a shield against stray volts of electricity as she approached.

Chat was performing his role admirably, as usual. He tripped up Supercharge more than once, and the akuma was so enraged that his focus was solely on Chat. Seeing Ladybug sneak up from behind, Chat yanked the firehose taught. Supercharge fell into a puddle, and sparks flew.

Ladybug tackled him, careful to stay on top of the yoga mat, and she used a rubber glove she borrowed from the firefighters to remove the phone from Supercharge’s hand and smash it. She captured the akuma as it flew out, and once she had purified it, she watched it fly off into the sky.

“Sure pulled the _plug_ on that one, didn't you, Milady?” Chat punned, almost breathlessly. His chest felt tighter than usual. Ladybug finally rolled her eyes, and he stepped forward before discovering that the puddles were still _supercharged_. He yelped at the shock and jumped back, falling into another puddle and twitching violently.

Ladybug’s eyes widened, and she threw the mat up in the air with a cry of “Miraculous Ladybug!” Everything that was affected by the akuma was returned to its original state.

Her partner lay still in the puddle for a moment, and she remembered that the miraculous cure doesn't always affect the miraculous or their holders in quite the same way it does everything else. Her earring beeped.

“That was re _volt_ ing,” Chat mumbled.

Ladybug released a breath she didn't know she had been holding. “Are you okay, Chat?” She asked quietly, standing over him.

“I'm feeling much more _grounded_ ,” he said, grinning, “but my head _hertz_.”

Ladybug’s earring beeped again. “You sound fine to me,” she said, pulling Chat up to his feet. He wobbled a bit, and she steadied him. He hadn't used his cataclysm, so his transformation could probably hold out for a while longer. Her earring beeped, and she was reminded that her own transformation was about to end. “Chat, I have to go. Chat, look at me.” She squished his cheeks in one of her hands.

Chat focused on her face, her mouth, then her eyes. “Gotta go _recharge_ , huh?” His voice was soft and unsteady, and he laughed breathlessly at his own pun.

Ladybug’s earring beeped again. “Yes, that's exactly what I have to do. As soon as my kwami can do it, I'm going to come back for you.”

“No need, lovebug,” he reassured her. “I can make it. You go do you, okay?” He blinked and did his best to look more alert. It was strange that his suit wasn't healing him faster, but he figured that Plagg had enough problems. As Chat, was used to slamming into things without feeling quite so much like the things had slammed into _him_. He wondered if this was Plagg’s first electrocution, but he doubted it. He watched Ladybug’s back as she ran from him, and then he looked around for somewhere he could go. 

Emergency personnel were all over the place, and Chat backed away from a paramedic that had practically snuck up on him. “You're bleeding,” the man said. “At least take this for later.” He handed Chat a roll of bandages. “Huge fan, Chat Noir. Really.”

Chat took the bandages and smiled. “Always nice to meet a fan,” he replied, but it sounded more Adrien than Chat. “Thanks for this, and keep up the good work!” He mock saluted and ran from the scene as fast as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying it so far. :) 
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated!


	6. Dropping By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Alya acquire an injured cat.

Ladybug careened into an alley and transformed. “That was tough,” she told Tikki. She pulled a cookie from her purse and handed it to her tiny bug-like kwami.

“It was,” Tikki agreed, mouth full of cookie. “When I finish this, we should probably go back for Chat.”

“Definitely. I'm worried about him.” Marinette turned to leave the alley with Tikki back in her purse and then jumped when she discovered Alya standing in front of her. “A-Alya. Hi. Hello. You… want to talk, don’t you?”

“I certainly do, girl.”

“Can it wait a little while longer? I want to go make sure Chat Noir is okay.” She tried to breathe evenly as she stepped around her friend and out into the street.

Alya followed her. “I'm guessing Chat doesn't know who you are?”

“Nope. Sure doesn't. We are going to keep it that way, too, Alya,” Marinette said with a little more force than she meant.

“Do you know who _he_ is?”

“No. I don't. And I don't want to.” She frowned as she looked around. Her cat was no longer around. “I guess he was okay enough to leave,” she sighed. “Let’s go back to my place, and we can talk.” She sounded defeated, even to her own ears.

Satisfied, Alya followed after her and then stopped. She could hear a faint scratching sound coming from somewhere above them. “Did you hear that noise?” She asked.

Marinette kept walking, lost in a spiraling train of thought. What if Alya didn't want to be friends anymore? What if she was so upset she told everyone that she was Ladybug? What if Chat or Adrien found out? Not that her feelings for Chat are the same as her feelings for Adrien, that would be weird, but she desperately didn't want either of them to know that Ladybug and Marinette are the same person. Because they're not. They are, but they're not. She wasn't ready to give up the illusion that at least one side of her was confident and capable and… and… worthy of their affection.

“Marinette!” Alya yelled. Marinette stopped and turned, just in time to see Chat Noir tumble off of a roof and nearly fall into a dumpster. If the lid wasn't closed, he would have wound up in a dumpster for sure. Alya put her hands over her mouth. “Sorry! Oh my gosh, I saw him and was just trying to let you know he was there, and I think I startled him, and he fell. Holy crap, Marinette, did I just kill Chat Noir!?”

“He had better not be dead!” Marinette rushed over and pulled Chat’s arm. She could remember when he was young and scrawny and much easier to push and pull around even for her civilian form. Adult Chat was significantly taller and more muscular than Marinette. He was still pretty lean, but he was definitely more solid. “Chat, you _idiot_ ,” Marinette complained, finally getting him to sit up.

“Heeey, _purr_ incess,” Chat slurred but still managed to smile at her. “What’re you doing here?”

“I live down the street, dummy. What are you doing falling off rooftops when Ladybug isn't around to catch you?”

“Just thought I’d _drop_ by…” He pushed himself up and swayed, looking at his hands like he lost something. “I had a… thing…”

Alya huffed. “You definitely did not fall off that roof on purpose, cat. You're hurt and probably need a doctor.”

Chat focused on Alya as though he just noticed her and furrowed his brow. “Please don't post me falling off a roof on the Ladyblog,” he begged.

Alya looked appalled. “I wasn't even filming, Chat. You need to get your priorities straight.”

“Cats like to pretend they land on their feet, Alya. Come on, kitty,” Marinette said gently, hooking one of his arms over her petite shoulders. “Alya, can you take his other - thank you.”

Alya was glad to help. “So, Chat Noir, does this happen often?” She felt like this might be one of those times when she should keep somebody talking for their own good. She was not looking forward to telling Nino about this.

“Do I normally find two lovely ladies on my arms, do you mean?” He staggered heavily into Marinette. “Or the other thing?”

Marinette snorted. “The falling off of rooftops thing.”

“Oh…” Chat considered the question. “No, no that's not very common.” He cracked another smile. “I do sometimes fall for Marinette, though, don't I, princess?”

“You fall _around_ me, that's for sure.” She pulled open the door to her family’s home behind the bakery.

Alya hesitated. “No, seriously, aren’t we going to take him to the hospital? I mean, superhero or not, he needs medical help.”

Chat shifted his arm on Alya’s shoulder so he could pat her on the head with his hand. “No. Hospitals. Not for this cat, costumed or not.”

“Well, that settles it,” Marinette agreed quickly. “How are we going to get you upstairs?”

Looking up the stairs, Chat chuckled to himself. How many flights was it to Marinette’s bedroom? Maybe she would just leave him in the living room and hope that her parents wouldn’t barge in. They were working in the bakery, right?

“I bet your dad could do it no problem,” Alya replied. Marinette blanched, and they ended up half-pushing, half-pulling their superhero friend up the stairs and then up the rest into Marinette’s bedroom. He collapsed on the chaise, and his eyes fluttered closed.

Alya sat across from him with a frown. “How are you still transformed?” She asked.

Chat didn't open his eyes, but he replied, “I dunno. I tried to change. Wouldn't work. Stuck or something.”

“What do you mean _stuck_ ?” Marinette had an armful of medical supplies and a horrified expression. “Stuck _how!?_ ”

“Dunno, princess,” he mumbled. “Just won't work.” He wished they’d stop asking questions. It was hard work getting up the stairs, and while the girls could probably credit themselves for most of the work, they couldn’t credit themselves for all of it.

Alya looked at Marinette. “How do the transformations work?” She whispered.

Marinette shrugged. “You tell me, you're the one with all the Ladybug and Chat Noir information.”

Alya glared at her. “Are you trying to make me mad?”

“No,” Marinette hissed, leaning over to Alya, “I am trying to protect a stupid cat from his stupid self and my stupid _stupid_ , okay?” She jumped when Chat put his gloved hand on her arm.

“Upset?” He opened his eyes a little and gave her arm a squeeze.

Marinette’s face burned. She liked to keep her cool around Chat even if he didn't know she was Ladybug. And she had not exactly been very articulate just now. She breathed out her nose and, in a much calmer voice, said, “Alya, can you go get a bowl of warm water and a washcloth for me?”

“Yeah, of course.” Alya disappeared through the trapdoor in Marinette’s floor.

“You were hurt pretty bad today, huh, kitty?” She said, smoothing down Chat Noir’s abnormally wild hair. “You're covered in mud, too.” _Which means everything I own is going to be covered in mud. So much laundry._ That was when she realized he was bleeding. She bolted into the bathroom and came back with a towel, which she put under his head, partially to keep him from bleeding anymore on the chaise.

“Hey, talk to me,” she said. “What happened today?” She already knew what happened, of course, but she always liked to have his perspective, and she really just wanted him to not be so quiet.

“...knocked over a fire truck,” he muttered with a faint smirk, as though proud of it. “Sorry, Marinette. Don't wanna be a burden...”

“Did he just apologize for bleeding everywhere?” Alya asked as she pulled herself up into the room. “Sorry it took so long, I couldn't find a washcloth. They were all in the dryer. Anyway,” she filled the bowl with warm water at Marinette’s sink. “How are you feeling, Chat?”

“Mm… like I fell off a roof into a light socket.” He flinched when Marinette brought a warm washcloth to his face and began gently cleaning it off. Alya took another cloth and started cleaning mud off of his hands and arms.

“Turn over a bit,” Marinette instructed. She wanted to get at that head wound. It was on the left side, a short way above and behind his temple. He was lucky in some ways, even if it sure didn't seem like it. She scrubbed at it gently with her washcloth, and Chat made disapproving hissing sounds.

“Hey, Chat, do you _always_ call Marinette ‘princess’?” Alya smiled at him when he cracked open an eye to look at her. She was very carefully cleaning the mud from a clawed gauntlet. He was surprisingly relaxed for someone who was probably in a lot of pain.

“He used my actual name a minute ago,” Marinette said. She was directly across from Alya on the other side of Chat, but she didn't look up from what she was doing. “Usually, he calls me _purr_ incess, which is a little different. You think you're funny, don't you, kitty?”

Chat smirked and closed his eye again. Then he tensed up with a small hiss, pulling his hand from Alya’s and curling into a ball. Being in a ball seemed to cause him even more discomfort, so he whimpered and stretched back out, hands on his ribs.

Marinette’s hand hovered above his head with an antiseptic pad. “Sorry! I should have warned you.”

“Are your ribs broken?” Alya asked. He responded by tentatively offering her his other hand to be cleaned. She frowned.

If she didn't know that Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste were the same person, Alya might have had an easier time with what was happening. She wondered if that was part of why Marinette didn't want to know who he was. Was it easier to think of him as a mask instead of a person? Of course, if Marinette _did_ know that her superhero partner was actually her friend and long time crush, Marinette would probably have ceased to function. Especially given how easily she talked to Chat as Marinette. It has gotten a little easier for her to speak to Adrien over the years, but she still couldn't really get past small talk. Alya almost laughed at the thought of what Adrien must think about that. _He’ so oblivious, he probably has no idea why she can talk to Chat and not Adrien._ _No idea._ Maybe Alya could ask him about it after she breaks it to him that she knows.

“I'm going to do it again, okay?” Marinette spoke sweetly, as though he were a small child. “If you don't freak out, I might bring some cookies up from the bakery for you.”

The sides of his mouth twitched like he was about to smile, but it was too much effort. He replied with a quiet “okay.” He grimaced but didn't spasm again.

When she finished up a short while later, she looked pleased. “Good news! Doesn't look like you need stitches, today, furball.”

“Thanks,” Chat said, his voice small and forced.

“Alright,” Marinette said, standing. “Get some rest.” She rubbed the top of his head between his cat ears. “Alya’s right here. I'll go down and get you some cookies.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Feedback is always appreciated!


	7. Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's favorite cat gets a nap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pun-free chapter!?

Alya spun lethargically in Marinette’s desk chair. She had already uploaded everything she had from the akuma attack onto the Ladyblog, and she wasn’t in the mood to check stats or reply to comments yet. Marinette had left her with Chat, who was asleep on the chaise, and Alya wasn’t exactly pleased about that. She and Adrien were going to have a LONG talk about safety and good choices. Then she was going to explain to Marinette that just because she took a class on CPR and first aid and got a certificate - which Alya could see pinned to the wall behind Marinette’s computer - it didn’t mean that Marinette was qualified to administer health care to her reckless superhero partner.

The only thing keeping Alya from calling an ambulance to come get Chat was the look on his face when he insisted on not going to a hospital. And the fact that he had said he wouldn't go to a hospital out of costume either. That was odd. She was planning on asking Marinette a lot of questions later, and one of those would be about that. Maybe she would know something about it.

Marinette opened the trapdoor and carefully slid a tray into the room. It contained a pitcher of water, two glasses, and about a dozen chocolate chip cookies. “I told my parents you were here,” she told Alya. “They were happy about it, as usual.”

“Girl, I thought you were kidding about the cookies,” Alya whispered, glancing at Chat. 

“Why?” Marinette asked, closing the trapdoor. She picked up the tray and set it on a table. “He likes them.”

Alya raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “How often does he end up sleeping off his injuries in your room?”

“Um…not often. But he has come around to help me with akumas when I couldn't, uh, you know, and he has come to check up on me after he caught me too close to some akumas as, uh… me, I guess.” Marinette’s hands fluttered wildly as she spoke. She was obviously still nervous about talking about Ladybug with Alya, and she certainly didn't want to talk openly about Ladybug in front of Chat. She was lucky he didn't know who she was already, and Marinette never liked to push her luck.

Alya sighed. “Okay… so what do you know about this cat? Aside from he likes chocolate chip cookies.”

“I see what you're doing,” Marinette said. “I promise we will talk, but not like this. Cookie?” She held a cookie out to Alya, who never turned down one of her family’s cookies. Alya took it but made sure to sigh a little more dramatically this time. 

Marinette poured some water into a cup and then gently ruffled Chat Noir’s hair. “Hey, kitty, are you thirsty?” She asked softly. She regretted not giving him something to drink when they first brought him in, but she was so concerned about his injuries that she hadn't thought about it. She was glad the head wound was nowhere near as serious as it looked. 

Chat breathed in sharply and moved a little like he was about to wake up, but he didn't. Marinette tried again. “Chat, I have some water for you.” She scratched gently behind one of his cat ears.

Alya almost laughed out loud when Chat, still asleep, started to purr. It was a weak and sleepy purr, but it was enough for Alya to hear a few feet away. She put her hands over her mouth to keep from making the high pitched squeal she felt rising in her chest. How is he even doing that!? Why is it weirdly cute!? 

Marinette grinned at Alya conspiratorially. This was something delightful that she knew about Chat, and it was actually very exciting to get to share it with somebody. 

She had discovered it as Ladybug one day when she and Chat were watching the sunrise after a long night of chasing around an akuma that called itself Nightrunner. Right before their transformations had worn off, he had asked to meet her on the Eiffel Tower at sunrise after they transformed again. She had expected a serious conversation, but he only confessed that he’d had an early morning the day before and thought the sunrise would look nicer from up there than his bedroom window. She got the impression that he just didn't want to go home, so she scratched behind one of his ears playfully. Sleepily, he leaned into her hand and closed his eyes. And then purred. His eyes snapped open in surprise, and he started coughing to try to cover up the sound until it stopped. Ladybug had giggled but tried not to make him feel more embarrassed than he already was, but once she got home, she and Tikki laughed themselves silly.

Marinette remembered reading somewhere that a cat’s purr had healing properties, and she hoped it was true.

She tried one more time to wake him and even put the cup of water to his lips before giving up. His lips parted when the cup pressed against them, but she didn't want to choke him, so after a few drops, she pulled the cup back and set it on the tray again. His mouth moved, and he licked his dry lips, closing his mouth into a bit of a pout. That's fine, he can be dehydrated if he wants, she thought.

Alya watched Marinette look affectionately at Chat and realized something: Marinette didn't know Chat was Adrien, but she obviously liked him anyway. Maybe her obviously close relationship with Chat as Ladybug (and maybe even as her civilian self, Alya wasn’t sure) was the reason Marinette had finally been able to talk to Adrien. When pressed about her newfound ability to speak whole sentences to Adrien, Marinette blamed puberty for making him more beautiful and even further out of her league. She claimed she was comfortable in her inability to ever attract his attention, even if it was a bit of a lie.

Chat, on the other hand, had made it quite obvious that he was in love with Ladybug since the very beginning. Alya had fans send in music videos full of photos or footage of the feline superhero looking at his partner like she was the center of the universe, which Alya thought were sickeningly cute. She posted them on the second Saturday of every month. Marinette had always dismissed the evidence as misunderstandings, and it took an embarrassingly long time for Alya to figure out that it was because Marinette was Ladybug and didn’t take any of Chat’s affections seriously. She always claimed she thought Chat was just a shameless flirt who probably had lots of girlfriends in his civilian life. Of course, she also used to claim she wasn't Ladybug, so there was that. Alya’s mind was turning over dozens of ideas all at once.

When Marinette finally turned to Alya, she could almost see the inner workings of her friend’s mind. It made her nervous, and she was already nervous. “Alya,” she began, her face taking on a more serious expression. “I’m sorry.”

“Girl, you better be sorry. I have a list of things you should apologize to me for,” Alya replied seriously, but she broke her straight face accidentally by smiling. Even if she was a little hurt that her best friend kept her secret identity from her for years, she was still very proud of her. And besides, she was best friends with her favorite superhero. Nothing was cooler than that. Nothing. “I also have a list of questions you’re gonna answer for me,” she said. “Starting with how and... probably never ending.”

“Okay, okay,” Marinette nodded. It didn’t seem like Alya was actually angry with her, so maybe they could have the conversation after all. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. “How’s the Ladyblog?” she asked. 

“Ugh, I uploaded the footage from earlier, and I’ve been avoiding looking at it since. Buuut, since you asked, I guess we should take a look.” The blogger opened the Ladyblog app on her phone - Nino and Nathanael had helped her design it - and she had to wait a moment before the stats showed up. “Oh, good, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be, but it’s still probably going to beat out the UFO akuma from like two years ago.”

“That one was fun,” Marinette said, rolling her eyes. “Let me see the video, I guess.” She leaned back on the desk and watched the video Alya took of the battle with Supercharge. The video was on silent so it wouldn’t disturb the sleeping cat, who they periodically glanced at to make sure he was okay. The lights in the room began to flicker and then the wifi signal went out before the video finished. 

“Oh no,” Marinette whispered. “How is this happening?” The lights in the room went out, and they could hear the power go out of the rest of the house with a bit of a “whir” sound. Even their phones powered down. They were left a complete lack of the mechanical and electronic hum that they were so used to. Chat’s breathing and soft purr sounded somehow louder than before. Marinette squinted her eyes shut and willed this to not be happening. It didn’t work. 

“So, do I finally get to see you transform?” Alya whispered.

“No!” Marinette squeaked, much louder than she intended to. She put her hand over her mouth as Chat snuggled deeper into a towel-covered pillow. “No,” she hissed. “You definitely do not get to see that.”

“Will I get to see it eventually?”

“No. Maybe. I don’t know. I have to go deal with this.” Marinette grabbed her purse and headed up to her balcony. “Please stay with Chat Noir,” she called down to Alya. “Promise?”

“Yeah, okay,” Alya sighed. “Somebody’s gotta look after this kid, I guess.”

Marinette opened her purse on the balcony and Tikki floated out. “This is very bad,” Tikki said, her big eyes filled with concern. “Very, very bad.”

“I know, Tikki. I’m so sorry. Spots on.”


	8. Cheese Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya meets Plagg

Alya was once again alone with Chat Noir, and this time she had no phone to amuse herself with. She did have some interesting things to think about, at least: her weirdly oblivious superhero friends. At least Marinette had rid her room of all of the Adrien Agreste paraphernalia years ago. She did have that cute collection of Ladybug and Chat Noir stuff around somewhere, though. She studied the sleeping superhero and wondered how soon after Marinette left he had stopped purring.

“Girls?” Marinette’s mom called from below the trap door. “I have some candles if you need any!”

Alya pulled open the trapdoor and leaned down. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Cheng,” she said, taking several candles from her outstretched hands. “Love the cookies, as always,” she added quickly before closing the trapdoor. 

The room wasn't very dark, since it was late afternoon and the sun was still up outside, but it wouldn't take long for that to change. Alya dug around in some of Marinette’s drawers for matches, and then she heard something she had not expected. 

A beep.

She turned and stared at Chat Noir, soon to be Adrien Agreste. This was amazing. Could he even de-transform while asleep? What was she about to witness? She must have stared for a full minute, because another beep brought her out of her stupor. And then another. He didn't even seem to notice. She sank back into the computer chair and kept her eyes firmly focused on Chat Noir. 

After the final beep, Chat Noir transformed back into Adrien Agreste with a bright green light, and a little black…  _ thing _ … swirled out of the ring on his right hand. It floated up and then drifted down onto Adrien’s shoulder and let out a little whine. 

Alya’s eyes widened until she felt like they were too big for her face. “What. On. Earth.” Of all the things she might have expected, this - whatever this was - was not it. She inched forward, assuming the thing was not dangerous because it came from the miraculous that Chat Noir has had for years. She had never been easily frightened.

“What are you?” She asked, resisting the urge to poke it. It was small and black with a big head, cat ears, and funny whiskers, and when it opened its eyes to look at her, they were green and catlike - like Chat’s. 

“Who are you?” The little thing replied hoarsely. “Oh. I know you. You're what’s-her-face, the loud one. The  _ blogger _ .” 

Alya frowned at him. “You know me?”  _ What does it mean, loud!? _

“Of course I know you, you're one of Adrien’s friends.” It sighed. “Okay, be honest, how bad is the kid?”

“You don't know?”

“I have an idea and a headache and a desperate need for cheese. So just tell me.”

“He was electrocuted a couple of times and got pretty beat up…but, uh, he refused to go to the hospital, so all I know is that he didn't need stitches for a head wound.” Looking at her injured friend without his superhero costume was a much different experience, and without his mask, she could see dark circles under his eyes and a bit of a furrow in his brow. He looked like he didn't feel great. 

“ _ Idiot _ .” The little alien cat thing floated up and bonked its forehead against Adrien’s. “Adrien, you're an idiot,” it grumbled.

Adrien’s eyes flickered open and his face went through a range of emotions before he bolted upright and cupped the little black cat in his hands. “Plagg!?” He whispered, surprise and relief in his hoarse voice. 

“Idiot,” Plagg repeated. Adrien rubbed his thumbs around the kwami’s little ears, and Plagg started to purr. 

“I know I'm an idiot,” Adrien replied. “I messed up, and I'm sorry.” He looked over in surprise at a glass of water suddenly being held just inches from his face. He’d been so focused on Plagg he didn't even realize there was someone else in the room. 

“Your voice has had better days,” Alya said, and she offered Adrien a friendly smile when his wide eyes finally reached hers. It took him a moment to either recognize her or realize his situation, but when whatever it was finally clicked in his mind, he smiled sheepishly back at her.

“H-hey, Alya,” he said quietly. He felt awkward. He held Plagg gently in one hand and took the glass of water in his other. His throat was so dry it was like a desert, and even room-temperature water felt like drinking sand. He looked around the room and recognized all of the pink, the fashion designs on the wall, the photos of him and his friends together. Marinette’s room. His eyes widened as the full weight of his situation settled on him. He felt exposed and vulnerable. Alya and Marinette were his friends, and as much as he'd always wanted his friends to know his Chat Noir side, he wasn't prepared for this. For right now.

“You remember how you got here?” Alya prompted. From his vaguely disconcerted expression, she wondered if he did. “You’ve been here a few hours.”

“Does Marinette know?”

“Marinette is, um, downstairs… doing… stuff. I've been looking after you. She wasn't here when you de-transformed, so she doesn't know.” She smiled what she hoped was her reassuring smile (usually reserved for Marinette). 

“Oh, good. Please don't tell her?” Adrien looked at her so earnestly that she had to agree to keep his secret immediately. “Sorry,” he said, “I'm just a bit….” He looked at the little cat in his hand. “You wouldn't happen to have any Camembert, would you?” He asked, giving her an awkward smile.

“Camembert?” Alya folded her arms. “You might have a concussion and you're asking for cheese?”

“Not… not for me. For him. Plagg.” Adrien plead with her with his eyes, which felt like they  _ hurt _ . Everything hurt. His head throbbed, his chest felt tight, he felt like he was a giant bruise and would never move again. He had been concerned when he couldn’t transform back into himself, and he had been even more concerned when he felt  _ real _ pain as Chat Noir. Usually, even serious injuries didn’t hurt much or leave much of a mark when he was transformed because Plagg was able to protect him.

“ _ Him _ ?” Alya stared again. “ _ He _ is called  _ Plagg _ ?”

“I know it's weird, but I'm serious. He needs Camembert to regain his strength. Please?” He leaned back on the pillow. He hadn't expected to not go home after the akuma battle, so he had nothing to give his tired kwami. 

Alya took the glass of water from him and set it back on the tray. She wasn't sure how she felt about leaving him to find cheese, but after another whine from the little cat thing, she knew she was apparently going to have to. The more answers she got about Ladybug and Chat Noir, the more questions she had.

“Alright, I'll go find you your cheese.” She hesitated. “If there's not any here, I don't know if I can buy it because the power’s gone out everywhere.”

“The power is out? Um…” he began and was interrupted by a tiny cry for Camembert from Plagg. “There's also some in the fridge at my place, if there isn't any here.” He sat up and then changed his mind and laid down again. Instead, he reached into his back pocket and cringed but pulled out a key attached to a security keycard and handed it to her. “Why is the power out?”

Alya looked at the concern on Adrien’s face, swallowed, and then lied to him. “Thunderstorm. I think it's over now, but the power’s still out. I’ll be back in a bit with your cheese.”

One thing Alya was glad of as she rummaged as quietly as she could around the Dupain-Cheng family kitchen was that Adrien had the good sense to stay put and rest instead of looking for cheese himself. She wondered if he would have had the same good sense if anyone else had been there. Or if he had been alone. He had refused her offer to take him to the hospital the day before - in or out of costume - and that concerned her. She had already made up her mind that she wasn't going to unmask her superhero friends to each other, even if she wanted to  _ so badly _ , but she was going to make darn sure that they both knew they had allies who would be there to help them when they couldn't help themselves.

All she could find was Brie, which she put on a little plate and carried upstairs. How much could a little thing like that eat, anyway? 

It turned out that Plagg could eat more than his size. He started out weakly at first, but as he ate, he became more energetic.

Adrien had thanked Alya profusely for bringing the Brie, even if it wasn't Plagg’s preferred snack. He also apologized for inconveniencing her. “Wow,” Adrien muttered as he watched his kwami. “You aren't even complaining. It's weird.”

“I didn't have the energy to complain, but now that you mention it, I would much prefer Camembert, so we should get going,” Plagg grumbled. 

Alya shook her head. “No way am I letting this boy out of my sight,” she told the thing known as Plagg. 

Plagg groaned, “ _ Humans _ .” He gave Adrien a significant look. 

“Sorry,” Adrien apologized to Alya for what must have been the hundredth time, “I don't think I've properly introduced you. Alya, this is Plagg. He’s my kwami. He's also kind of rude.”

“I can tell,” Alya said, reaching to pet the strange little cat on the head.

“Adrieeeeeen,” Plagg whined, “she tried to touch me.”

“You’ll live,” Adrien replied dryly. He pushed himself back up and blinked at Alya with one of his  _ increasingly  _ apologetic smiles. “I -  _ we _ \- do need to get out of here, though.” He hesitated when Alya put her hands back on her hips and raised her eyebrows at him. “I … don't want Marinette to walk in and find me instead of Chat Noir.”

Alya rolled her eyes. “First of all, Marinette is your _friend_. _Your_ _friend_. I don't think it would be bad if she found out. I'm your friend, and I know, and I don't mind.”

“Yeah, but she's different around me as Chat. I don't want things to be even weirder with her.” He shifted uncomfortably. He liked Marinette, and he liked being her friend, but it had taken so long for her to be able to talk to him as Adrien that he was afraid that any kind of change might destroy all the progress in that relationship.

Resisting another eye roll, Alya nodded. “Okay, okay, I get that. Let's move on to my second point: you are INJURED, dummy.”

“She's right, you are a dummy,” Plagg agreed, amused. 

Alya looked sideways at the kwami and kept talking. “I’ll bet you can't even get across this room, let alone get home.” 

“I bet she’s right, actually,” Plagg chimed in.

Adrien looked at him. “Plagg, whose side are you on!?”

“My own, of course.”

Adrien looked between his kwami and his friend and found himself walking, a little shakily, back and forth. “No problem, see?” He held out his arms in a display of success.

Alya laughed. “Okay, you made it, but I have your apartment key, and I'm not giving it up.” She shook the key and then hid it behind her back. 

“Oh, come on, Alya!” He dropped his arms to his sides.

Plagg cackled. “Say the words, kid.”

Adrien frowned in confusion. “What? You hate transforming, and you got really hurt earlier.”

“I’m feeling much better, and I want Camembert. None of this  _ Brie _ junk. Also I want to go home and sleep, so say the words.”

“What words?” Alya asked.

Adrien grinned at her in a very Chat Noir manner. “I’m getting those keys, Alya. Okay, Plagg,” he said, “claws out.”

Alya was the very first person who got to witness Adrien transform into Chat Noir. It was possibly the most exciting thing she’d done since she finally realized that two of her closest friends were superheroes. She also, unfortunately, lost possession of Adrien’s key.

“I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Chat Noir sighed, looking at the key he had wrestled easily from Alya’s grip. He stretched, feeling  _ much _ better now that Plagg felt better. It was like his ribs weren’t broken at all. 

“Nice pun. We are  _ so _ having a talk about this later. Also, BE CAREFUL.” 

He tilted his head, and one of his ears twitched. “You know, I’ve been doing this a long time. And I’m just going home. Tell Marinette thank you for me, will you?”

“Maybe I’ll bring her to your place later,” Alya teased.

“Please remember that you promised me you wouldn’t tell her?” Chat’s glowing green eyes plead with her, and she felt like all of the sad kitten look that Adrien could muster was amplified by Chat’s mask. 

“Okay, okay. Just be careful. Text me when you get home, please?”

Chat laughed. 

“I’m serious!”

“I know, that’s why I’m laughing. I promise I will. See you Thursday?” Chat pushed open the door to Marinette’s balcony and vanished into the evening.

Alya groaned. Marinette was going to  _ kill _ her. She grabbed a candle and fumbled around until she found the matches she was looking for earlier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying it so far. As always, feedback is appreciated!


	9. Homeward Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat DOES, in fact, go home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all of your lovely comments! They mean so much!!!!

Chat Noir had every intention of going directly home. Even though he felt pretty much okay in his magical form-fitting catsuit, he was worried about his kwami. But by the time he got two blocks from the bakery, he realized that all of the rooftops he had run across were completely dry. When he looked at the sky, which was the hazy orange of sunset, he saw a few non-threatening puffy white clouds.

Alya had _lied_ to him. There hadn't been a thunderstorm, especially one bad enough to knock out the power across the city. This had to be an akuma attack, which meant that Alya was lying to protect him - nice gesture, he appreciated it a little bit - but it also meant that Ladybug was out there somewhere battling an akuma. Alone. He hated that thought.

He tried calling Ladybug using his baton, but there was no answer. He tried to locate her on its gps, but it showed his apartment, which he realized, after a moment of panic, was probably Plagg’s way of telling him to go home. He had to find her first and make sure that she was safe.

When he found her, she was on the roof of his apartment. Not inside if it, like he had assumed when he looked at his baton’s gps. Why would she be inside his apartment in the first place? Especially when he wasn't there? He had also assumed that Plagg was just messing with him because he wanted to go home. Chat Noir felt so sheepish that when he joined Ladybug on the roof, he momentarily thought the irritated look she gave him was about his blunder, that is, until he realized she couldn't have known about it. He definitely wasn't quite himself today.

“Sorry I'm late, my lady,” Chat said, bowing slightly. He was trying to be mindful of his injuries, even if they didn't hurt much anymore. He wanted to be able to move tomorrow.

At first, Ladybug looked relieved, and then a cloud seemed to settle over her face. She looked at Chat like he was an actual cat who just ate her hamster. “Why are you here?”

“What do you mean? We're partners. I'm here to back you up.” He offered her a supportive smile, which was not well received. His ears drooped.

“You're supposed to be at home _resting_ , Chat. You got hurt today.”

“Is my lady worried about me?” He asked sweetly, clasping his hands. His ears perked back up, and his tail raised. “I am honored! But I would feel pretty _purr_ thetic if I couldn't help out.”

Ladybug tried to glare at him but ended up turning away to hide a smile. “You _are_ pathetic, Chat. I can handle this on my own. Go home and rest.”

Chat frowned, hoping she meant that as a rebuttal to his pun and not as a judgment on his character. “What are we dealing with, Ladybug?” He asked, refusing to leave.

Ladybug sighed. She knew how stubborn he could be. “She’s calling herself Off Grid, and she's kind of… different. The power has gone out throughout the city, and she has basically grown a jungle down there.” She pointed down to the street on the other side of Adrien’s apartment complex. “I can't really find her in all of that. It also seems to be spreading pretty quickly.”

“That's funny. An overpowered akuma followed by an underpowered one. Today's been pretty _powerful_ , right?”

“Chat.”

Chat’s ears flattened again at her tone. “Cats are good hunters,” he said. “Let me find her for you.”

“I don't know, kitty,” Ladybug began as he launched himself off the roof into the dense jungle growth below. “Be careful!” She yelled after him.

With the sun setting, Ladybug couldn't see much at all down there, but Chat Noir had enhanced night vision, so he would definitely be able to find the akuma - that is, if he was feeling okay. Watching the still trees, she realized that she probably should have asked him how he was feeling instead of telling him what he should have been doing. She was just so surprised to see him, and she was worried. She thought she had left him safely in her bedroom with Alya, who was supposed to be watching him. A little bitterly, she wondered if Alya had sent him after her and followed him in search of footage for the Ladyblog. Ladybug looked around before she remembered that Alya’s cell phone wasn't working. Then she thought about how unfair that was; Alya was a good person and a good friend. She wouldn't purposely put Chat Noir in danger like that. Sometimes, Ladybug got tired of her two best friends always running headlong into danger.

Chat wasn't gone long before he shimmied up a vine growing along the side of the building and triumphantly dropped a backpack at Ladybug’s feet. Ladybug could hear Off Grid practically howling somewhere below. “It's gotta be this. She doesn't have anything else on her,” he panted.

“Easy, kitten,” Ladybug said, pulling him the rest of the way onto the roof. He leaned against her legs and breathed heavily.

“Hey, here’s a farmer’s market receipt!” She exclaimed, removing the slip of paper and tearing it in half. She easily captured the akuma in her yo-yo and released it back into the world as a pretty white butterfly. Her healing light cleared out the jungle and restored the power to the city.

Chat hopped up to his feet to fist bump his partner, who looked at him quite seriously.

“I'm sorry I was rude earlier, Chat.”

“Rude? My lady? Never!” Chat put his hands on his hips and did a dramatic impression of one of her eye rolls.

“Telling you how bad your jokes are and being rude are not the same,” she laughed. “Look, I was just really worried about you. I don't know what I'd do without you, so take care of yourself, okay?” She rubbed her arm. “Seriously. You're reckless.”

Chat smirked. “I was taken care of very well today,” he informed her. “I just don't like the thought of you fighting an akuma alone - not that you're not capable of that, of course, I mean, you don't really _need_ me, but I like to help.”

Ladybug sighed. “You're reckless and you're stubborn. I DO need you, Chat. Preferably in one piece.” She looked at his wilted expression, adding, “I would never have been able to get that akuma’s backpack as quickly as you did today. Now will you please go home and get some rest?”

Chat nodded sadly and then perked up again. “Do you realize that we’ve seen each other every single day for over a week?” A goofy smile spread across his face and was almost contagious.

“I can't believe you're not sick of me yet,” Ladybug laughed, trying not to let his face win her over. “We need to go.”

“...are you sick of _me_ , my lady?” Chat asked softly, his teasing smile starting to fade.

Ladybug reached over and scratched behind his right cat ear. He got like this occasionally when he was tired or didn't feel well. It felt almost wrong that her playful cat could be so sensitive sometimes. She didn't like that he worried that he was inadequate or that she didn't want him around, but she did like knowing that there was more to her partner than just overconfidence and puns. She even felt a little less alone with own insecurities as Ladybug. It also reminded her to be careful how she treated him. He was so supportive and gave her so much praise that it was sometimes overwhelming. She usually tried to show him the same kind of support, but she knew she wasn't the best at it. She tried to keep herself a little distant from him. For a lot of reasons. She tried not to think about it too hard, but sometimes it kept her awake at night.

“If I were going to get tired of you, I would have done it years ago,” she told him. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand. “Now please go home, so I don't have to worry about you.”

Chat Noir opened his big green eyes and smiled at her. “After you, my lady.”

Ladybug sighed. “I’ll go talk to the victim,” she said, swinging down into the street. Chat watched her a moment before he hopped down onto the other side and released his transformation in a secluded corner.

Plagg groaned and hid in Adrien's shirt. “What was that!?” He demanded. “We were supposed to just go straight home. You said.”

“I know,” Adrien said, suddenly exhausted. He leaned back in the elevator and closed his eyes as it rose slowly to his floor. It seemed to take ages. He was almost confused when he heard a distant “ding” and felt a rush of cool air as the elevator doors slid open. He fought the urge to just sit down.

“Let's go, I want cheese,” Plagg complained. “Today has been the worst. Cheese and sleep. That's all I'm doing for the rest of the week.”

“Sounds good, Plagg,” Adrien mumbled. He had waited so long to exit the elevator that the doors almost closed on him, and now the hallway felt too bright and too dark at the same time. He fumbled with his keys, leaning his forehead against the cool door. When the door swung inward, he swung with it, barely managing to stay on his feet.

“Overdid it, huh?” Plagg asked as he phased through the wall into the fridge on the other side.

Adrien shut the door with a push and pressed his palm against the wall while he waited for the room to stop moving around him. He wished he had stayed on the roof with Ladybug. She could pet his head, and he could lay down in the warm summer air, smelling rooftops and Tarmac and leaves. He _really_ wished he was at Marinette’s. It smelled like fabric softener and cookies there.

Anywhere but here, the room spinning and silent. Recently steamed carpet and new sofa smells. Stale coffee smell from Nino’s morning brew. Adrien thought he was going to throw up and lurched into the bathroom.

He sat against the wall staring at the toilet until his phone buzzed and brought him out of his stupor. He couldn't remember if he threw up or not. If he did, he had flushed the toilet and left no evidence. He could taste bile in the back of his throat. 

His phone had twenty-seven messages, and the battery was dying. He needed to charge it. When he stood, his head felt light but the rest of him felt heavy, and he struggled into his room with uncharacteristicly jerky movements. Everything hurt and nothing hurt. He didn't know when he reached his room or how he plugged in his phone, but when everything went sideways and he found himself laying on his stomach on the bed, he could see that the phone was connected to its charger.

His bed was so comfortable. Even with his feet hanging off the back and his limbs refusing to move, he was happy to be in it. His blankets smelled like laundry soap; he had washed them himself, and he was still proud. Adrien breathed in the scent of his sheets and closed his eyes. 

That's where Nino found him an hour later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying it half as much as I am. All feedback is appreciated. :)


	10. Chat Noir's Apartment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino has an interesting/boring day, and Alya has a "chat" with Marinette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be all in Nino's point of view, but I got distracted by Alya. Oops.

Nino went to work in the morning with vague misgivings about leaving his best friend alone without warning that Alya wanted to talk to him about Chat Noir. When _Supercharge_ struck the city, Nino had reason to worry about all three of his closest friends, and he checked the Ladyblog as frequently as he could to still be considered working.

The record shop was never exactly busy, but business did pick up during tourist season, and he was supposed to at least feign interest in the musical tastes of the customers. Today, a few extra people had come in as soon as they saw the ominous clouds starting to spread over Paris from above the Eiffel Tower.

Nino got to give the customers live updates from the Ladyblog. “My girlfriend runs that blog,” he told them. They were all Parisian and had heard of it. It was the best place to find information about akuma attacks and superhero activity throughout the city. Alya usually live-streamed her videos during attacks, and this was no different.

The customers gathered around the register while they watched the battle on Nino’s phone. When Chat Noir got electrocuted and thrown into a fire truck, he almost dropped the phone. There was a chorus of “ouch” from the customers, and none of them noticed that Nino’s heart had almost just stopped. Chat got up again, and everyone was relieved, but he clearly fell down again at the end of the battle.

One of the customers mentioned how Chat Noir always gets knocked down and gets up again. “That's his greatest skill,” she argued. “It's so impressive.”

Nino could have made the argument that it's a bit of a metaphor for his friend’s life; nothing ever got him down for long. He put up with so much, and he did it as pleasantly as possible. Nino could also have said that he was annoyed that Ladybug would just run off and leave Chat Noir, who was clearly injured, even if the attack was over. What he did say was that he was going on break and would be back in a few minutes.

On break, hidden in the little room behind a beaded curtain, he called Adrien’s phone and got no answer. He called Marinette’s phone and got no answer. Finally, he called Alya’s phone, and he still got no answer. He practiced breathing for a moment before texting Alya asking for an update. She didn't reply right away, and when she did, he was no longer on break and had reached a state of inner calm that only someone very close to freaking out could understand.

 _“_ Don't worry, we’ve got him,” she texted. “We’re at Mari’s. He's going to be okay.” She piled on the smiling emojis like they were going out of style.

“He's going to be okay” implied that Adrien was not actually okay to begin with, and Nino asked her for more details. Alya was usually so good at sharing information. But not today. Today, her usually immediate replies took up to a half hour to receive, and their ordinarily ridiculous amount of details were cut down to the bare minimum.

Nino was starting to lose his natural cool because he was so worried. Finally, she sent him a text that made him feel better. It was a photo (which he saved for future purposes) of Marinette bent down with her hand in Chat Noir’s hair. He looked like he might have been asleep. The following text read, “He’s PURRING.”

Nino laughed out loud. He wasn't actually sure how purring was possible, but it was the best thing he'd heard all day. Of course, it wasn't long afterward that the power went out across the city. Low Key Records was even more boring during a power outage. He couldn't leave because he was the only one working and didn't have a key to lock up. The boss was supposed to come in later to do it, and Nino couldn't even text him to let him know the power was out because his phone was also mysteriously dead.

 ------

 After Chat left Marinette’s room, Alya found Marinette’s matches and lit some of the candles she had been given. She hoped she hadn't made a mistake by letting Chat leave - not that she could have prevented him from leaving if she tried, but she felt responsible for his safety. She was pretty sure Marinette was going to kill her. With no way of contacting anyone with the power outage and dead phone, she had to just sit and wait. Just her alone with her thoughts.

She was a little excited, actually. She had gotten to, first of all, witness her best friend interact with the superhero who was secretly the love of her life, AND she got to witness him interacting with a good friend who was secretly the love of his life. She supposed there wasn't anything unusual about that, but the more she thought about it, the more excited she felt.

Adrien and Marinette had been friends for years, and they were adorable and awkward and friendly with each other, but even if Adrien actually liked Marinette in the way that Marinette liked him, there wasn't a lot he could do about it because Marinette would fall completely apart and melt into a puddle of awkwardness. What Adrien had said to Alya earlier gave the girl hope that maybe he _did_ like her best friend in the way Marinette always wanted. He wanted to be her friend so badly that he was afraid of scaring her off for any reason.  

And then there was Ladybug and Chat Noir. Alya had been documenting their adventures (and relationship, of course, although most of that work was done by Ladyblog fans) since the beginning, and she knew how much they relied on and cared for one another. She also knew that Chat Noir had always head over heels in love with Ladybug, even though Ladybug didn't share his affection. Or even seem to notice.

The few times Alya had seen Adrien and Ladybug interact were even funnier than watching Adrien and Marinette because they both became puddles of awkward and tried to play it cool.

Marinette and Chat Noir, though. That was different. Marinette was clearly comfortable with Chat because she knew him so well as Ladybug, and he was comfortable with Marinette because he knew her as Adrien, but neither of them seemed to be awkward about it.

Alya dug Marinette’s homemade Ladybug and Chat Noir dolls out of the closet and grinned at them. She was going to have so much to talk to Nino about. She was forming a plan, and she’d need his help to see it through.

Suddenly, the power returned, and the whole house seemed to come back to life. With the mechanical hum came the faint static of electric wiring and lightbulbs. The lights flickered on, and everything seemed much more real with the noise and the lights. She could hear traffic sounds resuming outside.

The trapdoor above Marinette’s bed opened and Marinette tumbled in. She didn't look around for Chat but instead looked at Alya with a severe disappointment Alya had never seen on her before. Alya’s phone buzzed on the desk and continued to buzz as all the texts that hadn't loaded before the power outage suddenly arrived. She smiled nervously at her friend.

“Chat Noir helped me with the akuma,” Marinette said finally, breaking their uncomfortable staring contest. “If he didn't, the power would still be out and a quarter of the city would be jungle.” She slid off the bed and removed the towel from the chaise. She folded it into her lap as she sat.

“He seemed okay when he left,” Alya said. It wasn't exactly untrue. “I couldn't have stopped him anyway. I tried to steal his apartment key, and he got it back.”

Marinette frowned. She didn't know her partner had an apartment and had never seen his keys. “How did you get his key?”

“Oh, well,” Alya leaned forward in the desk chair and adjusted her glasses. “A little while after you left, I was looking for matches to light the candles your mom gave me - don't worry, she thought you were still here and didn't come up to check - and I'm minding my own business, right? And then I heard this BEEP.”

Marinette’s mouth fell open. “His transformation?”

“Yes! Girl, I saw Chat Noir detransform like RIGHT THERE!” Alya hopped out of the chair and did a little dance. “Don't worry, though. I promised cat boy I’d keep his identity secret, even from you.”

“Oh.” Marinette wasn't sure how she felt about Alya knowing Chat’s identity before she did. She was almost a little jealous.

Tikki flew up onto Marinette’s shoulder and before Marinette could stop her asked urgently, “Is Plagg okay?” Her eyes were swimming with concern.

Alya’s eyes widened like they had when she saw the cat kwami earlier. “Oh. My. Goodness.” She blinked and shook her head before answering. “Yes! I had to go find him some cheese and then he wanted to go home because the cheese wasn't good enough or something, and Chat didn't want Marinette finding out his identity, so they transformed and left. It was SO COOL, MARI.”

Marinette nodded, unsure of how she felt about Alya meeting Chat Noir’s kwami before she did.

Tikki perked up. “That's good. I was so worried about Plagg when Chat said he couldn't transform back. I'm Tikki, by the way.” She flew closer to Alya and smiled. “It's nice to finally meet you, Alya. Thank you for being such a good friend to Marinette.”

“Tikki!” Marinette looked mildly embarrassed. Tikki flew back to Marinette and sat on her shoulder.

Alya smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Mm. Ladybug. So, Marinette, do you want to know about Chat Noir’s civilian self now?” She teased.

“I want to know that he got home safely, but that's about it,” Marinette replied stiffly.

“Oh, come on,” Alya said, rolling her eyes. “You guys are friends and partners, and I know you care about him. Anyway, I asked him to text me when he got home, so maybe one of these texts was from him.”

“You gave him your phone number?”

Alya smirked at Marinette over her phone. “What? You mean he doesn't have your - I mean, _Ladybug’s_ \- number?”

“Of course not. Ladybug doesn't have a  number,” Marinette said, trying not to giggle at the idea of Ladybug getting calls on a cellphone. “That mangy cat would never stop calling if he had Ladybug’s phone number!”

“Mangy, huh? I’ve always thought he’s pretty cute, especially now that I know what’s under the catsuit.” Alya wiggled her eyebrows.

Marinette’s face flushed red, and she looked away, focusing on a spot of blood Chat left on the towel.

“Oh my God, Marinette! I didn't mean like _that_!” Alya cackled. “Do you like him?”

“What? Like Chat!? N-no! I-I’m in love with Adrien, you know that.” The flush in Marinette’s cheeks didn't leave, and Tikki giggled. Marinette changed the subject. “Alya, did he text you or not?”

“Girl, I'm checking. I've got a ton of alerts here, okay? The Ladyblog is super active today. Everybody wants to know if the cat’s okay. And I've got a million texts from Nino, and a couple from my mom… No. What? He didn't text me.” Alya looked up at Marinette with a frown. “Should I call? I'm going to call.”

Marinette fidgeted as Alya called Chat Noir on speaker. It rang and rang before going to a generic voicemail. No answer. “M-maybe he’s busy?” Marinette squeaked.

Tikki flew towards Alya. “If you know who he is, maybe you could go check on him? Since he’s not answering his phone. Would that be a good idea?”

Marinette frowned. “He gave her his phone number, not his address, Tikki. Right, Alya?”

“Well…” Alya made a face, trying to figure out how to tell Marinette she knew where Chat lived without giving her the wrong idea or betraying his confidence. “I DID steal his apartment key, and the key card had the building name, and the key had his apartment number on it. I am a journalist, you know. I notice these things.” She puffed up, feeling proud of herself.

Tikki nodded. “Alya can go check on him, Marinette!”

Marinette shifted uncomfortably. “Wouldn't that be like an invasion of his privacy? What if he lives with family or roommates or-or a girlfriend? What would they say if you randomly showed up?”

“What!? Girl, it's concern for his health and safety! Besides, I'm going to be the one doing it, not you. You hang out here, and I’ll call you once I make sure he’s alright.” Alya hopped up and squeezed Marinette’s shoulders. “If he lives with anyone, I’ll pretend like I'm selling magazines or doing a survey or something, okay?”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

Alya laughed. “He actually lives in a nice area, Marinette. But I’ll take Nino with me just in case.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “Alya, you can't tell Nino about Chat’s identity!”

“I'm not going to. I was just planning on telling him he's going with me to do a thing.” Alya folded her arms. “I think you're trying to figure out where your partner lives. I thought you didn't want to know anything about him?”

“I… I don't. It's safer that way.”

“Yeah, sure, safer.” Alya pulled open the trapdoor and started downstairs. “I think you're just scared, but that's okay. I've got this. Bye!”

 ------

 Nino had gotten off work shortly after the power returned. His boss apologized profusely for not realizing what time it was without being able to look at something electronic. Even the batteries in his clocks stopped working during the outage.

The first thing Nino did when his phone turned back on was text Alya for information about the power outage. He didn't get a response, so he checked the Ladyblog, but it was too soon for any news to be posted there either. He started walking towards Marinette’s, since that was the last place he knew his friends had been. On the way, he texted Adrien multiple times but got no response. He was almost there when Alya called him.

“Nino, where are you?” She asked.

“I'm near Marinette’s. Is everything okay?” He held his breath.

“That’s perfect! Oh! I see you! Hanging up now.”

The call ended, and Nino looked up to see Alya running toward him. She smiled, and he felt better about the world. “Hey!” He called, waving. “What’s going on?”

“Eeeee!” Alya squealed, hugging him. “I have so much to tell you! Sorry I didn't respond to all of your messages. Lots of stuff happened today. Obviously. I’ll tell you all about it on the way to Adrien’s. Come on,” she talked quickly, tugging his arm in the direction she wanted to go.

“Whoa, okay,” Nino said, spinning the direction she wanted and trying to keep up with her fast pace. “Is Adrien okay?”

“Well, he was mostly okay when he left Marinette’s earlier, and he promised to text when he got home - by the way, he officially knows that I know but he thinks I just found out today - but I guess on the way he decided to help Ladybug out with the second akuma. Two akumas in one day! Who would have imagined that! Anyway, he hasn't texted me, and Marinette is worried, and she still doesn't know who he is, so you and I are going to check on him.”

Nino took a while to process all of Alya’s information as they practically jogged to Adrien’s. He was not one of nature’s great runners. “Yeah, okay, that makes sense,” he said finally, breathing hard as they reached Adrien’s apartment building. “Maybe tell me from the beginning?”

“Yeah, I will! Definitely! But we’re here now, so first we’re going to go in and check on the cat, and then I’ll tell you.” She pulled him into the elevator and hit the button for Adrien’s floor.

Nino had never been so happy to be in an elevator in his life. He wiped a bit of sweat from his face with the collar of his shirt and used the ride up to catch his breath. When they came to Adrien’s door, they discovered that it while it looked fully closed from down the hall, it actually wasn't. Alya pushed it open without any problem at all, and they didn't even need to use Nino’s key.

“Hello?” Alya called as she stepped in. Nino closed the door securely and locked it for good measure. “Adrien?”

Nino jumped backwards as a little black thing came through the kitchen wall and hovered in front of Alya.

“Plagg!” Alya said, starting to reach for his cat ears and then stopping herself. “Where is Adrien?”

“Check his room,” Plagg told her. He looked over at Nino. “Hi. I'm Plagg. You're Nino. I’ll be in the fridge if you guys need me.” He went back through the wall.

Nino opened his mouth, and Alya reached over and closed it for him. “All will be explained,” she said. “Adrien!”

They found Adrien in his room, just like Plagg said they would. He was fully clothed, lying on his stomach with his hands near his shoulders and his feet dangling off the bed.

“Dude.” Nino gently touched Adrien’s shoulder. “He’s breathing, at least. What the heck.”

“Adrien?” Alya said, leaning on the bed so she could see his face. He looked pale and still had the dark circles under his eyes. “Hey. Adrien.” She reached forward and rubbed his head near where one of his cat ears would have been.

He didn't purr the way he did for Marinette as Chat, but he did make a gentle humming sound in his throat. “Hm? Marinette?” he mumbled into his comforter.

Alya looked up at Nino and smiled triumphantly. “He’s okay,” she whispered.

“This is not _okay_ , Alya,” Nino whispered back.

“You're right. It looks uncomfortable. Take off his shoes. I'm going to get off this jacket, and then we’re going to roll him over and move him up onto the pillows. Got it?”

Nino started pulling off his friend’s shoes. Alya gently moved his arms and slid off his open button-up shirt. He didn't seem like he enjoyed being moved. His eyebrows furrowed when they rolled him over, and they waited a few minutes before touching him again. His face smoothed out quickly enough, and they nodded at each other to acknowledge that it was time. As Alya and Nino slid their arms underneath him and pulled him higher on his queen-sized bed, he tensed and whimpered, but he didn't wake up or push them away.

After they got him situated, Alya brought in a bottle of water and left it on the nightstand. “I don't want to leave him by himself like this,” she told Nino. "I think one of us should stay the night."

Nino nodded in agreement. “I think we both should,” he said seriously.

“We could do that. I need to call Marinette and let her know how he’s doing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Feedback is always appreciated! :)


	11. Headache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's not dead, and neither is Marinette

Gradual awareness of darkness. Darkness was a feeling as well as a lack of light, and so far, Adrien found it good. Someone touched his hair, and it reminded him that there were things beyond darkness. There was something familiar about being touched like that. It reminded him of the scent of vanilla and cookies, and he fought the comfortable darkness to give a name to the feeling. He felt the sound in his chest and then his throat, and the sound of it emerging from his mouth was the first thing he’d heard since the finding himself in the dark.

_Marinette_.

He could hear things, now, softly: whispers and scufflings. The whispers sounded familiar, and he felt safe. Hands pulled at him, but he was still too comfortable in the dark to feel more than an ache as they moved him. He felt another sound come from his throat involuntarily as he felt himself get dragged up the bed. When the hands left him, he gave himself back to the soft bed and the darkness.

He woke up with terrible thirst and a headache. Light poured into his bedroom and tried to blind him, but he turned his back to it. There was a water bottle on his nightstand, and he reached for it instinctively.

\-----

Nino stretched lazily as he searched his friend’s kitchen for something to make for breakfast. Alya was still sprawled out on the sofa and was being profoundly unhelpful for someone who had hit him with a pillow and demanded he find them something to eat. If Nino had his way, he would still be asleep on the rug, uncomfortable as it was.

Opening the fridge, he discovered why Adrien kept so much Camembert. Plagg, the catlike little kwami that Nino had the semi-pleasure of meeting the night before, was curled up in an empty Camembert container while he munched on the cheese from another. Several of the containers were open and empty.

“Hi,” Plagg greeted him with zero enthusiasm.

He and Alya had an interesting talk with the creature last night, in which he claimed to be completely disinterested in humans and their activities. He finally admitted to being partial to Adrien and promised Alya (after Alya grabbed him and threatened to not let go) that Adrien would be just fine. He hid from them after that. They found him sleeping close to Adrien on one of the pillows when they checked on Adrien around midnight.

“Does he have any food at all?” Alya asked.

“Uh… Not really? Pretty sure he's not much of a cook, babe,” Nino replied. Adrien had had personal chefs for most of his life and probably had no idea how to cook. “I found cereal, and he still has some milk, if you want that.”

Alya rolled off the sofa and shuffled over. “I’ll take what I can get. You have any of your famous coffee?”

“Yep, I stashed some here when I helped him move in.” Nino opened a cupboard and pulled out a jar of coffee he ground himself. He took his coffee very seriously, and his friends all appreciated it. He usually made weaker blends for them, but since starting university, they had all taken a liking to his extremely caffeinated personal blend.

Soon, the whole apartment smelled like Nino’s coffee. Alya laughed at Adrien’s odd collection of dishware. They were colorful, and none of the mugs matched. “We found them all at a thrift store,” Nino said. “He said he wanted something that has been used before. I don't really know why.”

“Should we go check on him again?” Alya asked.

“I don't think we need to,” Nino said, smiling in the direction of the hall. Alya looked at him and then turned.

Adrien stood with his hand against the wall, his clothes ruffled and hair messy even by Chat Noir’s standards. He looked unsteady and tired, his eyes a little hollow from dehydration. He also looked surprised. He hadn't expected company, and when he smelled Nino’s coffee, he had to come out and investigate.

“It’s a good thing you quit modeling, dude,” Nino told him. “Have you seen yourself today?” He laughed. “Seriously, though, how are you feeling?”

Adrien’s eyes shifted nervously from Nino to Alya, who shrugged. “He already knew anyway,” she announced. “We both knew.”

Adrien released the breath he was holding. “Really?” He looked at Nino. “You knew I was Chat Noir?”

Nino laughed again. “Dude, you're not exactly uh… is subtle the word I want here?” He looked at Alya.

“We’ve known for quite a while, but we didn't know how to tell you,” she said. “Get over here and eat something, please. How’s your head?”

“It hurts,” Adrien admitted, joining them. Alya started pouring him a bowl of cereal, and Plagg came out of the fridge when Nino grabbed the milk.

“They thought you were going to die,” Plagg said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “They stayed all night.”

Adrien looked at his friends and felt genuinely touched. They went out of their way to look out for him. It made him feel loved. “You guys really stayed all night?”

Alya nodded. “Yeah, we did. I asked you to text me when you got home, and you didn't, so I had to come check on you. You were like passed out! You didn't even close the front door all the way, Adrien, anyone could have come in here. We had to stay.”

Nino nodded in agreement. “We’re happy to look out for you, man,” he said. “Do you want to talk about the whole Chat Noir thing?”

Adrien moved the cereal around in his bowl. He tried to eat it, but the crunch was too loud inside his sensitive skull, so now he was waiting for it to get soggy. “I'm actually glad you guys know,” he confessed. “Thank you for being cool about it.”

“Of course we’re cool about it! You're Chat Noir, what isn't cool about that?” Alya gestured with her hands. “But I'm not really cool with not being able to take you to the hospital when you're injured. What's up with that?”

Adrien sighed, sliding the cereal bowl away and putting his chin on his arms. He focused on a spot on the counter. “I'm famous as both Chat and Adrien,” he said quietly. “If I go to the hospital, everyone’s going to hear about it. And… and you don't know my dad. I just got out. I'm finally free. If… if he finds any reason to make me come back home, he will.” Adrien glanced up at Alya to make sure she understood. His voice quivered. “I can't go back. I won’t.” He buried his face in his arms.

Nino gave Alya a significant look. It wasn't exactly an “I told you so,” but it was definitely a little stronger than “see.” She made a face at him. “Okay,” Alya said, putting her hand on Adrian’s arm. “We won't make you go unless it's really, really serious.” Nino put his hand on Adrien’s shoulder in a show of solidarity.

Plagg snorted. “Humans are weird. I can usually protect him as Chat Noir,” he grumbled. “Just don't go electrocuting me all the time, and we’ll be fine.”

Adrien lifted his head and smiled a little at his kwami. Plagg cared in his own way. Wiping his face, Adrien asked, “so do you guys know who Ladybug is, too?”

Alya laughed nervously. “I thought if anyone knew, it would be you.”

“No,” he replied, starting to shake his head before he remembered the discomfort that could cause. “She wants to keep our identities secret. I respect that.”

Nino rolled his eyes. “You're a better person than we are, dude. Are you not going to eat this?”

“I don't think so.”

Alya hopped up. “Okay, you look so pathetic that we are taking care of you today, got it?”

“What?” Adrien stood as she pulled on his arm. She led him to his bedroom and instructed him to change into more comfortable clothes while she dismantled his bed. He came back out in sweats and a t-shirt, and Alya pushed him gently onto the sofa before wrapping him in his comforter. He felt like a burrito.

Nino brought over a bottle of water and some crackers he found in one of the cupboards. “Gotta stay hydrated,” he said. “And also maybe eat something. Alya’s going out to get you groceries. She wants to make you soup.”

Adrien could hear Alya say “yep! I'll be back soon,” as the door closed. He snuggled into a throw pillow and blinked at Nino. “You guys are great,” he said.

“Yeah, we are, aren't we?” Nino smiled. “Oh, by the way,” he added, sitting in the love seat with the tv remote, “Marinette still doesn't know you're Chat. We aren't going to tell her unless you want us to.”

Adrien smiled. “Thank you,” he said. “For everything.”

\-----

Marinette was not a wreck. This is what she told herself after Alya left to check on Chat Noir. This is also what she told herself when Alya finally called her to tell her how Chat was doing.

It was late, and Marinette was exhausted. She’d never fought so many akumas in such a short time, and she really hoped bombardment wasn't Hawkmoth’s new strategy. Poor Chat needed to rest for a bit, and she wasn't sure how much more she could take either.

Tikki sleepily watched her Chosen pace back and forth. “She said she would call, so I’m sure she will, Marinette. Why don't you put your phone ringer on loud and come to bed? You’ll hear it when she calls.”

“I can't, Tikki. I need to know he’s okay. I shouldn't have let him help with Off Grid. I should have made him go home. Ahhh, what if he didn't make it home, Tikki? What if Alya hasn't called because he’s not there?” Marinette’s hands fluttered around her face as she tried not to cry. She was tired and irrational, and she knew it, but that didn't stop her. “I will never forgive myself if I let something happen to that cat because I was neglecting him.”

Tikki nodded glumly. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, Marinette. You have both been doing this a long time, and you've both been hurt before. He’ll be okay, I’m sure of it.”

Marinette wiped her eyes and climbed up into the bed. She was never able to control her partner, but usually he didn't scare her like this. Usually, she didn't see him recovering from injuries after battles. She wondered how often his injuries were this bad, if her tossing him around like a human yo-yo hurt him like this, if he often had to nurse himself back to health alone. He never complained. Why did he never complain? She felt like a terrible partner. She felt like a terrible friend.

She was half asleep when her phone finally rang, but she snatched it and answered it as fast as possible. “Alya!?”

“Hey, girl,” Alya said softly, “I’m at Chat’s place.”

“Is he okay? Did you talk to him or the people he lives with? What’s happening?” Marinette felt like she wouldn't be able to breathe until Alya told her what she needed to know.

Alya chuckled. “Calm down, Marinette. First off, your kitty lives alone. And second, he’s pretty much passed out in his bed. Nino and I got in because he forgot to lock the door. He said your name in his sleep.”

“Ladybug?” Marinette breathed slowly, trying to get herself under control. She was not a wreck. Chat was breathing, he was at home in a bed, he would be fine. Even if he was asking for her in his sleep. Her guilt was endless.

“Nope, not Ladybug,” Alya replied. “Marinette.”

“What?” Marinette’s heart skipped a beat. Why would he ask for her and not her alter ego? Had Ladybug taken too much advantage of his selflessness? Had ignoring his injuries as Ladybug caused him to seek out Marinette’s kindness? Why would he say her name and not Ladybug’s? Or someone else’s name? Does he not have anyone else’s name to say?

“I'm just telling you what I heard. Anyway, we think he’ll be alright, but we are staying here for the night just in case. Somebody’s gotta look out for Paris’s superheroes, and I've decided that that somebody is me. And also Nino,” she laughed quietly.

“So Nino knows his identity now, too,” Marinette mumbled. She wanted to hide under her blankets for eternity.

“Well, yeah,” Alya admitted hesitantly. “I needed some help moving him around on the bed, so Nino was my muscle.” Alya was happy that Marinette couldn't hear Nino as he occasionally remarked on their conversation. He was convinced that he was witnessing her villain origin story, as the evil matchmaker. She had to put her hand over the receiver and shushed him in case Adrien woke up and heard. “Marinette, you sound really tired. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know how he’s doing, okay?”

Marinette was definitely a wreck. She wasn't sure she’d ever be able to sleep again. Not only did Alya (and probably Nino) know that she was Ladybug, they knew who Chat was under the mask. She didn't even know who he was under the mask, and he’s been her partner and basically best friend for like seven years. Everything was falling apart. Her lies, for one.

She hated lying more than anything, but she had been forced to basically build a life around lies to protect her identity as Ladybug, and now two of the friends she’d lied to the most knew. They knew they had been lied to, and Alya, at least, didn't even seem angry. Marinette didn't feel like she deserved so much forgiveness. Not for the lies. Not for the way she pushed people in and out of the correct places in her life, like she was arranging puzzle pieces or sewing a quilt.

She hated herself for the lies, and now she felt like she was being confronted with her relationship with Chat Noir, and she hated that too. No. She didn't hate her relationship with Chat Noir. There was nothing wrong with him, except maybe the flirting, which she had long since gotten used to. She hated her own role, always pushing him away, always using him as a weapon, always leaving him behind in the end. She wondered how he continued to bear it.

Tikki stroked Marinette’s head. “You're just really tired, Marinette,” she soothed, “you need to rest. Everything will look better tomorrow.”

When Marinette finally slept, she slept so soundly that she didn't hear her phone buzzing the next morning when Alya called. She didn't even notice when her trapdoor opened and her best friend climbed into her room and propped her arms on the edge of the loft bed.

“Are you alive?” Alya’s voice penetrated Marinette’s subconscious because it was so close, and she jolted awake, pressing herself against the wall and looking at Alya like a startled animal. Alya grinned at her. “So, it’s after noon, and I called you five times, but you never answered, so I thought I’d come by and check on you. Your parents let me in.”

“Oh. Okay.” Marinette slowly released herself from the wall. “H-how is Chat Noir?” She asked, climbing down from her bed.

“Chat Noir is okay! He was very surprised to see me and Nino this morning. I think he’s got a wicked headache. I kind of… uh, wrapped him in a blanket on the couch and left him with Nino, so I could go get groceries. But I had to take a quick detour to check on you.”

Marinette’s face brightened a little. “I'm glad he’s okay. You had me worried last night.”

“He had us worried last night, too, but it’s okay now.” She shrugged. “He really doesn't complain much. Anyway, I hope there’s not another akuma today. You guys need a break.”

“I don't think there will be,” Tikki said. “Two in one day is hard on Hawkmoth’s kwami.”

Alya raised her eyebrows. “Hawkmoth has a kwami? Like you?”

Tikki nodded. “I am worried about him. Our powers aren't meant to be used for evil.”

“We will save him, Tikki,” Marinette said, “we just have to find a way to get to Hawkmoth.”

Alya hugged Marinette. “I can’t believe I’ve been best friends with Ladybug this whole time.”

“Why aren't you mad?” Marinette asked into Alya’s shoulder.

“Mad!? Why would I be mad?”

“I've been keeping my identity secret and lying to you for years,” Marinette whispered, squeezing Alya tight and hiding her face.

“You're right, you have,” Alya sighed. “I’m not SUPER happy about that. But you were doing it to protect me, right? How could I be mad about that? Every superhero has to hide their identity.”

Marinette sniffled and let Alya gently push her away. Alya put her hands on Marinette’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “Just know that I'm here for you, okay? You AND Ladybug. You've always been here for everyone, especially me, and I want to be here for you. So if you need to talk, I'm here, girl.” She grinned. “I'm even cat-sitting for you.”

Marinette giggled. “Thank you.”

Alya released Marinette’s shoulders and stepped back. “Okay, I still have groceries to get. Do you want me to have Chat like… call you or anything, so you know for sure he’s okay?”

Shaking her head, Marinette had an excellent idea. “Come with me before you leave,” she said, rushing downstairs. She ran into the bakery, still in her pajamas, and filled a medium-sized box with cookies and pastries. She told her parents they were for a sick friend. “Here,” she handed the box to Alya. “For the three of you to share.”

“Yes! I love your family’s pastries! The boys will be so excited. Thanks, Marinette!”

Marinette waved at her friend as she left and tried to remember to breathe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Your support means everything to me! I hope you enjoy it so far, and feedback is always appreciated. :)


	12. Break Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets to spend some quality time with Chat Noir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fluff has arrived, guys. THE FLUFF.

Luckily for Paris’s dynamic duo, Hawkmoth probably needed a break even more badly than they did.

_Two akumas was **two** many_ , Marinette thought, the voice in her mind sounding an awful lot like her feline partner’s. She had gotten used to seeing him every day, and she was starting to miss him. The day of the two akumas, as Alya had dubbed it, was Friday, and the weekend went by without any incidents at all. Marinette slept a lot and tried to work on a project she started before the marathon of akumas began. She found it hard to focus.

She transformed on Monday just so she could call Chat Noir on his baton and let him know she didn't want to patrol like they usually did. Mondays were prime akuma days, and whenever there wasn't an akuma on a Monday during the day, the pair raced around the city at night to help the citizens feel a little safer.

Chat’s ears drooped when she told him. “But my lady,” he protested, “how will Paris survive a Monday night without us?”

Guilt gnawed at her stomach. She hated when he looked sad like that. “Chat, I know you were hurt worse than you let on the other day. I was hoping you'd take the extra time to rest up.”

“Worried about me, bugaboo?” He asked, perking back up. She nodded and started to speak, but he cut her off. “I’m _feline_ okay, really, and I’d love to get out and stretch my claws. Besides, it’s better to not have too much down time after an injury.”

Ladybug chewed the corner of her bottom lip. “Okay, but I’m going to keep it short, got that?”

Chat smiled broadly. “Usual place, usual time?”

“Yes.” Ladybug hung up with Chat and dropped her transformation. Tikki flew up and nudged her cheek.

“What’s wrong, Marinette?” Tikki asked. “Do you not want to see Chat Noir?”

“...not really? I don't know. I don't know why I'm upset about anything the past few days. I'm glad he’s friends with Alya and Nino now, not that Ladybug is friends with them or anything, so I can't talk to him about that… But I'm glad I can send Alya to check on him if I get worried.” Marinette felt like she was probably going to have Alya check on him a lot in the future. She almost wished she didn't know that Alya knew.

“Didn't you tell me that you eventually wanted to share your identity with him?”

“I did say that, Tikki, but I'm not ready. I wanted to wait until we defeated Hawkmoth.” Marinette picked up some loose threads that had fallen into the carpet from one of her projects.

“It’s been years, Marinette. It might be safer for both of you to know. Think of what happened the other day. Do you not trust him?”

“I sometimes think I trust him too much, Tikki.”

“He’s your partner: you're supposed to trust him, Marinette. If you don't trust each other, it puts you both at risk.”

Ladybug arrived early for patrol, reaching the Eiffel Tower just after sunset. She wasn't sure why, but she felt like she needed some emotional prep time before he arrived. She wanted to be able to look at him without feeling the anxiety she felt after he fell off the roof the other day. Naturally, though, he was already there, swinging his legs off the side of one of the Eiffel Tower’s iron bars.

He jumped to his feet when he saw her, catching her hand in his and bowing elegantly to kiss it. “My lady,” he purred. “I was getting spoiled seeing you every day. I missed you.”

Ladybug pulled her hand back. She was definitely not telling this shameless flirt that she missed him too. “I’m glad that Hawkmoth hasn't made a new akuma in a couple of days. I was getting a little worn out.”

His bright green eyes searched her face for something they didn't seem to find. “I guess we should get going, then,” he said, stretching his arms above his head. “I’ll race you.”

“You want to race me?” Ladybug asked incredulously. “I don't want you to push yourself too hard.”

Chat smiled coyly at her. “You can give me a head start, if you like.” He didn't give her a chance to respond before he winked, extended his baton, and slid down it. He waved at Ladybug from the ground and then took off running, stashing his baton at his back.

She watched him for a moment, searching for any sign of injury. He wasn't running at his top speed, but he didn't need to if she wasn't catching up. She sighed, flinging her yo-yo and swinging off the tower onto the ground.

She didn't catch up to him because he had too much of a head start, and he seemed to be leading her in a wide spiral around the city. She rolled her eyes when he finally stopped on top of the Arch de Triomphe. That man could make a pun even without speaking.

“You can’t help it, can you?” Ladybug said, sitting next to him and watching the traffic below.

“Help… what?” He was breathing harder than he usually would after a race, and he was visibly trying to get his lungs under control.

“Puns,” Ladybug smirked at him. She tried not to look concerned as she watched his chest heave, so she looked back at the street. He chuckled and then coughed, and Ladybug cringed. “Chat, if you aren't well enough to do this, you could have just stayed home. It would have been okay.”

Chat took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I know,” he said, his voice steadier and his breathing more even. “I know that saving Paris is something you’ve always felt like you _have_ to do. But it’s what I _want_ to do. I like doing this, and not just because I get to see you, although that makes it  _purrfect."_

His voice was low and serious, even with the pun, and Ladybug felt her stomach turn. She made a face at him. “You’re such a flirt,” she accused, poking him in the nose to dispel the tension she felt building around them. “And you're wrong.”

“Am I?”

“I like doing this, too. I mean, it is something we have to do. It’s our duty and our privilege. I take it seriously. But I really do like to do it, and it's been so long, I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn't. I think it's just part of who we are now, so I get it.”

He smiled brightly. “Good. I’m going to get going, but thank you for the race.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened. Chat hadn’t left patrol early in a long time. Often, their patrols would last until midnight on warm summer nights like this. He usually waited until she left first and would watch her go, too. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“I wanted to say thank you to someone who helped me out the other day. Will I see you Wednesday night if Hawkmoth doesn't bring us together again?” Chat stretched, looking every bit like a human version of a cat.

“I guess so,” Ladybug replied. She was trying to figure out if he meant he was going to visit Alya or Marinette. “See you soon,” she said as he vaulted from the arc and vanished among the rooftops. If he was going to visit Marinette, she needed to get home quickly, so she took as many shortcuts as possible.

Marinette took a quick shower when she got home and put on her favorite pajamas. Sneaking around downstairs, she made a plate of snacks because superhero work made her a bit hungry and she imagined Chat was no different. After she returned to her room with the snacks, she realized that he might not be coming at all. And worse than that, she realized that she was disappointed.

“You don't want to seem like you were waiting for him, anyway, if you're still trying to keep your identity secret,” Tikki told her.

“You’re right, as always,” Marinette sighed, looking around for something to do while she tried to casually wait for Chat Noir, who might never arrive. She felt wholly uninspired as she surveyed her unfinished projects, so she started a movie on her computer, dragged a blanket down off the bed, and curled up on the chaise. She had just gotten comfortable when she heard a gentle rap on the window.

“It’s him!” Tikki whispered as she hid.

“Took him long enough,” Marinette grumbled, pausing the movie as he rapped on the window again. She opened the window, and he sat on the ledge with an almost shy smile.

“Chat Noir?” Marinette asked, using her favorite Chat fangirl voice. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Recognizing that she was teasing, Chat’s grin became more confident. “I came to thank my _purrincess_ for being my nurse the other day.”

Marinette smiled. “It’s the middle of the night, silly kitty, but come in, I guess.” 

“I can come back at a better time if you're busy,” he offered, lingering in the window. His eyes drifted to the disaster around the dress form. “I don't want to intrude.”

She turned away from him to keep from smiling. He seemed nervous, and she was oddly delighted about that. “I was just watching a movie, but you're welcome to join me,” she said. “I have snacks.” She picked up the plate she had piled high with sweet pastries and strawberries, and she wiggled it a bit in her hands to entice him in. He followed the bait, closing the window as his feet landed softly on the floor.

“You know, I was worried about you,” Marinette admitted. She had admitted it as Ladybug, but it didn't seem to matter a whole lot. She sat the tray down next to the chaise and curled back up in her blanket. “Alya said she and Nino broke into your apartment to make sure you were okay.”

He laughed as he sat on the floor and leaned back against the chaise. She could feel the weight of his shoulders against her shins. “Yeah, they kind of did. They were cool about it, though. Alya fed me soup all weekend.” He made a face.

“Soup!?” Marinette giggled, imagining Alya force feeding Chat Noir.

“I prefer sweets. You understand me.” He gave her a wink as he took a bite of a chocolate-filled dessert. “She is a good friend to have, though, even if she's a bit…”

“Pushy?” Marinette supplied. She loved her friend dearly, but Alya liked to be a little too helpful sometimes. She knew that about herself, though, and it was something Marinette loved her for.

“I was going to say something more like terrifying, but pushy works. She means well.”

Marinette reached forward and stroked the cat ear on the right side of his head with the tips of her fingers. It twitched, and she smiled at how realistic they were. “How are you feeling?”

“I have to admit the soup helped,” Chat said, scooting closer to her hand and tilting his head as if to let her know it was okay to touch him. “I went to a doctor today, and my ribs are mostly just bruised.”

“Mostly?” Marinette wondered why he hadn't told Ladybug about the doctor visit. She grabbed the cat ear and massaged her thumb into it. His breath hitched in surprise.

“Ah… this one,” he indicated a rib on his left side, “might be fractured, but… ah…” He leaned his head heavily into Marinette’s hand.

“But what?” Marinette asked, releasing the base of his ear.

“What?” Chat echoed, before remembering what he was talking about. “Oh. Nevermind.” He had almost just told her that at least one of his ribs had been broken before Plagg and his catsuit helped heal him. But she couldn't know that. Alya swore that she kept his identity a secret from Marinette, so he still couldn't talk to her about details of his life.

Marinette giggled. “You're so easily distracted.” She didn't put her hand back on his head, so he leaned his head all the way back and looked at her upside down.

“You stopped petting me,” he complained.

She pushed his head away playfully. “You clearly can't hold a conversation when you're being pet. How about you hit the play button on the movie, and then I will pet you some more.”

“Really?” Chat sprang up from the floor. “You actually want to watch a movie with me?”

“Yes, you silly cat. Why not?”

“What are we watching?” He moved the mouse and clicked lightly, trying to avoid scratching it with his claw.

“It’s an Audrey Hepburn movie. I like old movies, but if you don't, we could find something else.”

“No, no,” Chat protested, sitting back down in front of her. “I think old movies are great.” He looked contentedly at the computer screen, which was wide enough to make a decent television, and he munched on another pastry.

Marinette smiled at the back of his head. There had been times when she had wanted to spend time with her partner outside of their superhero personas, but she had never told him so. He had wanted her to know who he was under the mask so badly when they were younger that she was afraid to tempt him at all. It had been a long time since he’d brought up that desire, and she thought it was because he had found a new focus for his affections, but part of her knew he was just honoring her wish for anonymity.

Her hand found its way back to his head, but she didn't attack his ears the way she did earlier. She ran her fingers softly through his hair in small circles, starting in the front between his ears and moving down to the base of his neck. When she got to the bottom, she worked her way back up. His hair was soft and clean and probably so messy because he didn't use any product.

Chat loved the feel of her hand in his hair. He found it difficult to focus on anything else. The movie became a bit of a blur, and he felt himself relaxing with each little movement of her fingers. When he felt a purr start to rumble in his chest, he tried to hold it in, to swallow it. He even started to pull away from her hand just to keep from purring, but he was too far gone. He could feel it vibrating gently through his whole body.

He heard her giggle and tried to pull away again. “What’s wrong?” Marinette asked softly, “is this bothering you? I can stop.”

“No,” Chat replied thickly, his voice low and gravely from the vibration. “Do you mind the purring? I know it's weird, sorry.”

She giggled again. “I think it's really neat and don't mind at all. Does it embarrass you or something?”

“Mmhm, I can't control it.” Chat leaned his head back into her hand, and Marinette sat up, thrilled with her new power.

“They say cats purr when they are happy, or when they need to heal themselves or others,” she said. “Is that true for you?” She put both hands in his hair, and he practically melted. His legs relaxed, and his hands pressed, kneading, into the carpet at his sides. She had never heard him purr so loud, and she leaned over his face to see if he looked as content as he sounded.

He did. His bright eyes were narrow ovals, unfocused, and his mouth was home to a loose, lopsided grin. She sat back, pulling her hands from his hair immediately. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff looking into an abyss.

“Marinette?” Her name was beautifully distorted by his purring, and she bit her lip. He struggled to pull himself together as he turned to look at her. “Do you want me to go?” he asked, blinking groggily. 

She shook her head. She couldn't make him leave, not like this. Not at this hour. Not with that face or that sound coming from him. She just needed to put some distance between them, so she picked up the blanket she was using and wrapped it around his shoulders. “I think it’s time for bed, kitty. I’ll let you sleep on the chaise if you want.”

“I can leave,” he offered again. He really didn't mean it. His legs felt like jelly, and he hadn't meant to stay so long in the first place. How had this happened?

“Don't be silly,” Marinette told him. She climbed off the chaise and picked up the mostly empty snack plate, stashing it on her desk before helping him off the floor and pushing him onto pink cushions. She tripped on the edge of his blanket and their faces almost collided, but he caught her arms and gently righted her. Laughing nervously, she tried to pretend her feelings weren't a little hurt that he didn't try to kiss her - or pretend to try to kiss her - like he would with Ladybug. He wrapped himself around a pillow, the same pillow he had almost bled on three days ago, and he buried his face in it.

She listened to his slowly fading purr for the next hour while in her bed, and she hated herself a little for thinking about kissing him. She had had so many chances as Ladybug, but Marinette had always been soft where Ladybug had been strong.

She tried to tell herself that Adrien would understand this betrayal if he knew, but it wasn't actually a betrayal, and Adrien didn't even know how she felt about him. Chat Noir didn't know how she felt about him, either. Marinette felt lost between the two.

He was gone in the morning, a neatly folded blanket left in his place. The rest of the pastries from the snack plate were gone with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying it so far. Feedback is always appreciated. :)


	13. Flower Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Alya have a chat about Chat, and there's another akuma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY it has taken so long to update. I got a terrible cold and had some other stuff going on. I think I may have spoiled you guys by updating every other day for a while. Ooops. 
> 
> Thank you so much for all of your amazing comments (seriously, I am so touched) and for your patience!

“Hey Alya,” Marinette began, poking her spoon gingerly into her ice cream. 

“Hey, Marinette,” Alya replied, chuckling at her friend’s vacant expression. They were sitting on a bench at the park near a new ice cream parlor, and Marinette had been acting strangely since they met up.

“What is Chat Noir like when he’s not in costume?” 

Alya raised her eyebrows. “What happened to not wanting to know about his civilian self?”

“Ugh, I know,” Marinette shrank into herself, her shoulders shielding her blushing face. “It's just… Next to you, he’s my best friend, and it’s kind of weird that you know him in both forms.”

Laughing, Alya pat Marinette on the back. “Are you a little jealous?”

“Yes. I mean no. I mean… Kind of? Really, it's just weird, and I think my curiosity is getting the better of me.”

“You want to know if he's just as sweet and charming as a civilian, huh?” Alya teased, poking Marinette in the side.

“Charming!? Him? With all the puns and the flirting? He's so showy. And ridiculous.”

“Lots of girls think it's charming,” Alya reminded her. “Anyway, he’s pretty chill. He’s also thoughtful and polite. Remember how he apologized for bleeding on your stuff? He’s like that. All the time. He loves the Ladyblog, which makes me happy, and he’s kind of a giant nerd. Very smart.” 

“Chat is a nerd?” Marinette asked. She knew he was smart, of course, but she never thought of him as nerdy. Of course, the puns should have been a giveaway. She would never tell him, but sometimes she was impressed by his quick wit and surprisingly intelligent (if silly) word play.

Alya smiled deviously. “He’s also just as pretty as Adrien, if you were curious about that.” She wasn't allowed to tell Marinette that Chat and Adrien were the same person, but telling her that he was just as attractive as himself wasn't technically a lie. And besides, seeing Marinette think about Chat being gorgeous under the mask was hilarious.

Marinette’s ice cream cup fell to the ground with a squelch. “That’s NOT what I was asking!” She knew her face must have been beet red.

“What, then? I’m confused.” 

Me too, thought Marinette. She frantically searched for something reasonable to tell Alya about in interest in Chat Noir, but all she could think of was the sound of him purring in the dark. In her room. Did Alya know he had come to visit her? Did Alya put him up to it? Did he SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HER TO ALYA OR NINO!? 

Alya reached down and picked up the cardboard frozen yogurt cup that Marinette had dropped. “Girl, you look like you're about to explode. I’ll try not to tease you about Chat Noir anymore, okay? But I do have a few questions about him for you.” She walked away to throw the cup in a trash can, and when she came back, she found Marinette looking even more panicked than she had before.

“Wh-why do you need to ask me anything about him? You c-could just ask him,” Marinette stammered. 

“Oh, I was just going to ask you why you always make a fuss when people talk about how in love with Ladybug he is.”

Eyes wide, Marinette looked like a deer that was about to get hit by the biggest car in existence. “B-because he isn’t actually in love with Ladybug. He's just a flirt. And besides, he doesn't know who Ladybug is under the mask, so he can't actually be in love with her. Me. He's not in love with me, he's in love with Ladybug.” She felt like she was talking herself into a circle. Alya had folded her arms and was looking at her with amused sympathy that made Marinette want to curl up and die. It was the same look Alya gave her when she talked about Adrien.

“Mari, you are Ladybug,” Alya reminded her, rubbing her back. “We’re all different in different situations. I mean, most of us don't have superpowers or a mask, but still… that's who you are. You're amazing. And besides, how is he even supposed to get to know this side of you?” She leaned her head on Marinette’s shoulder. 

Marinette pressed her cheek against the top of her best friend’s head and felt a little better. Or she did, until shrill screams started down the street. She whined, “I thought Hawkmoth was taking a break. Whyyyyyyyyyy.”

“I dunno, girl, but you better get going.” 

“Yeah, come on!” She grabbed Alya’s hand and ran towards a narrow alleyway. Pulling Alya in behind her, Marinette opened her purse. “Tikki, spots on!”

Alya squealed as Tikki flew into the earrings and pink light transformed Marinette into Alya’s all-time favorite superhero. “That was AMAZING!” She jumped up and down in excitement.

“Thank you,” Ladybug replied, a little shyly. “Please stay here or find somewhere safer. I’ll be back soon. Hopefully.”

The blogger pulled out her phone and followed Ladybug with no intention of hiding from an akuma if it meant not getting to see her friends in action.

Today’s akuma was a florist, and he was clearly angry about… something. Ladybug wasn't sure because she wasn't familiar enough with the “language of flowers” to understand how the villain was using it. She dodged a flower attack, grateful that she wasn't allergic to pollen. After they hit, the flowers exploded into clouds of brightly colored petals and pollen, like fireworks, and while they smelled lovely, they made it difficult to see.

Chat Noir arrived a few minutes late, just in time to tackle Ladybug, rescuing her from a rose thorn attack and rolling with her before landing in a heap in the grass. “Hello, Bugaboo,” he said, smiling down at her. “I feel like I haven't seen you in daisies.”

Shoving her partner off, Ladybug rolled her eyes. “That was bad, even for you.” 

“I lilac my jokes, my lady,” Chat replied, helping her up. 

“I know you do,” Ladybug grumbled. She flung her yo-yo and smashed apart a giant gardenia that was headed their way. Chat covered his sensitive nose.

“You know,” he said through his hands, “if you wanted flowers, you could have just told me.”

Laughing, Ladybug pushed his shoulder. “He’s getting the flowers from that flower cart,” she pointed.

“On it, boss!” Dodging an onslaught of flowers, Chat Noir ran towards the flower cart. He realized he'd been a little too enthusiastic running straight toward the cart when dozens of flowers suddenly flew at him. He rolled on the ground to avoid the attack, but the flowers exploded above him, burying him in petals and pollen. He had never been allergic to flowers or pollen, but buried beneath them, he felt like he couldn't breathe or even see. As if the unusually strong smell wasn't strong enough to overpower his sensitive cat nostrils, his eyes watered, and he coughed involuntarily, choking on even more pollen as he did. The more he coughed, the more he seemed to breathe in. He felt like he was drowning in flowers.

Ladybug cringed a little as she saw her partner go down. She appreciated his sacrifice, though, since his distraction gave her a clear path to the akuma. The villain was using a yellow carnation as a wand to control the flora. She smacked it from his hand with her yo-yo, and he stood stunned for a moment before diving toward it. She dove, as well, and they scuffled for the carnation before it broke. A black butterfly flew out, and Ladybug hopped to her feet and captured it with her yo-yo. It flew away, white and pure.

Chat emerged, wheezing, from the pile of flower petals just in time to see miraculous pink light cleanse the city of all evidence of the akuma. He stared fondly at Ladybug as his lungs were eased of their powdery burden. He wondered if the miraculous magic was beautiful because it was magic or because of her.

She walked over and held her hands down toward him. “You okay, kitty?” 

“Never better,” he replied, letting her pull him to his feet. “That brought a new meaning to flower power, didn't it?” He grinned his most obnoxiously charming grin.

She rolled her eyes, and they fist bumped. “I’ll see you later, Chat.” Hooking her yo-yo around a light post, she swung off. He watched her go before he ran in the opposite direction.

Alya ran after Ladybug, hoping that Marinette hadn't forgotten they were hanging out together. Sometimes after akuma battles, Marinette would just go home and claim she did so because she couldn't find anybody or got lost in the crowd or was affected by the villain’s powers. Now that she knew that Alya knew, Alya wasn't going to let her get by with that.

Marinette caught Alya’s arm as her friend ran by. “Alya!”

“Marinette!”

“Were you following me?”

“Well, yeah.”

Marinette frowned. “I think that when I go to transform back into myself, you probably shouldn't follow me.” She paused. “I mean, not right away. I just don't want to draw extra attention to my transformations.”

“Ohhhhhhh,” Alya nodded. “Okay, I got you, girl.”

Marinette grinned. “Thanks, Alya.” She hugged her best friend. 

“Now, about your relationship with Chat,” Alya began.

Marinette let go of her and started walking. “Nope.”

“Come on!”

“Nope. Nope, nope. I suddenly have somewhere I need to be. Nope.”

Alya laughed and followed her. Marinette wouldn't allow her to speak anymore until they were safely in her room. 

“Just hypothetically, if Adrien wasn't around, would you be interested in Chat Noir?” Alya asked, using her most innocently curious voice. 

“I don't know what you mean,” Marinette responded stiffly. 

“Yes, you do,” Alya said, poking her. “You know exactly what I mean.”

“You mean, am I romantically attracted to a man who runs around the city doing martial arts in a magical form-fitting catsuit and makes too many puns and flirts nonstop and gets himself into lots of trouble and LITERALLY PURRS when he's happy?” Marinette’s eyes were wide, and her hands fluttered around frantically in the air above her head.

Alya laughed so hard she hand to hold her stomach. “Oh. My. God. Girl,” Alya said between fits of laughter. “You are too much.”

“No, I'm not too much. HE is too much, Alya. That's what I'm trying to tell you!”

“Do you really think he’s that bad?” Alya asked, sobering up. 

“What!? No! I don't think he's bad at all!” Marinette’s panicked expression seemed to get even more panicked. “No, no, no. He's loyal and kind and considerate and thoughtful and SO PATIENT, Alya, you don't even know, and he goes out of his way to help people, and he's so cheerful and never complains, and I mean, he looks really good in that catsuit, and he's like the most supportive person ever, and he's great with the fans, and he's super clever, and… and…” She covered her face with her hands. “Ugggggh,” she groaned. “You're right. Oh my god, you're RIGHT.”

Alya cackled. “You got it bad, girl.”

“I knoooooow,” she whimpered. “I have for a long time. I just… He… UGH.” She dropped her head into Alya’s lap and let out a long, muffled scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Feedback is always appreciated! :)
> 
> As a side note: I don't really ever beta my work, and I write it all on google docs on my phone, so if there's anything weird (autocorrect likes to replace words that make sense with words that don't), please feel free to let me know. :)


	14. Sort-of Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino and Alya move in with Adrien

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this time, sorry. But Nino and Alya yaaaay! (I love them so much guys)
> 
> My life is made of illness and doctor's visits this past month. Shout out to any of my readers who have Lyme Disease - stay strong, cupcakes!

Nino wasn't happy about this. Actually, no. Nino was very happy about this. 

He was moving into the extra room in his best friend’s apartment, which meant that he’d be able to keep a better eye on said best friend who also happened to be a lonely, reckless superhero. It also meant that he'd get to hang out with his best friend more often (not just to make sure he was safe), which was ideal, especially for keeping him from being lonely. And it meant that Nino would no longer have to live with three other (messy) guys and have to go back home to do his laundry every other week. Adrien’s apartment had its own washer and dryer and everything.

What he didn't like was that it seemed like Alya felt like him moving in was an invitation for her to move in. He loved her, but he felt like that was something they needed to work up to and not spring on each other. Or on poor Adrien, who was being generous just letting Nino move in without the added… company… of Nino’s girlfriend.

“Look, dude, I'm sorry,” Nino said. “She's already colonized one of my drawers and like a nightstand.” He and Adrien were sitting on the floor in the living room unpacking Nino’s boxes.

Adrien just laughed. “You guys are a package deal, and I get that,” he reassured his friend, touching his arm. “The only reason I hadn't offered sooner was because I was trying to protect my other identity. Since that cat’s out of the bag,” he giggled at his pun until his eyes crinkled, “I really don't mind having you guys here. I think it's great!”

Alya emerged from Nino’s room and slung her arms around the boys’ shoulders. “Now we just need Marinette, and we’ll have the whole gang here.”

Nino grimaced. Okay, that's what he didn't like. That's what he was worried about. Alya had a plan of some kind, and it involved her long-standing quest to get Adrien and Marinette together. Her quest had intensified since she realized that her friends were also Ladybug and Chat Noir. She had always shipped those two. Secretly, so had Nino, but he would never want to pressure either of them. Alya, on the other hand, was very dedicated to her cause.

Alya had told Nino about her conversation with Marinette earlier in the week, and he was a little worried about it. Marinette had always had a crush on Adrien, and he never noticed, so she was finally starting to let go of it, so now she seemed to have a crush on Chat Noir.

His own conversation with Adrien about Chat Noir had revealed that Adrien really enjoyed being a superhero and perhaps even felt more like himself as Chat Noir than he ever has as Adrien Agreste. He still loved Ladybug, and he believed that loving her meant that he also loved the girl behind the mask. Whoever she was.

This could either go very well or blow up in everybody’s faces… Nino knew his friends very well, and he firmly believed that one day they would be very happy with each other, but he wasn't sure when or how, since they both seemed completely oblivious. Maybe they just weren't ready yet. 

He gave Alya an expression that he hoped she would read as “find your chill, babe,” but before he could actually say anything, Adrien reminded Alya that Marinette didn't know he was Chat Noir. And unless they wanted to clear out the room Adrien had set up as a gym, there wasn’t a bedroom for her.

Alya sighed. “Okay, okay, I surrender. But she's coming over for videogame night, right?”

“If she wants to,” Adrien replied. “I'm always happy to see Marinette.” He stood and stretched. “I have patrol in a few minutes, but I'll be back to help some more in a couple of hours.”

Nino shook his head. “We should have this all put away by then, my dude, but thanks for your help. And, you know, letting us move in and all.”

Adrien smiled. “My pleasure. Plagg?”

“Plagg’s not here,” Plagg replied from the sofa. “Please leave a message.”

“Plagg,” Adrien repeated, rolling his eyes. “Claws out!” 

Chat Noir winked at his new roommates before climbing out the window.

Alya grinned at Nino after Chat disappeared. “This is going to be so great. Wanna know what I brought?”

“What?” 

She grabbed his hand, pulled him into their room, and pointed at a plant on the windowsill. “Cat nip,” she announced. “I got one for us, and I left one for Marinette when I dropped by this morning. She wasn't home because she was meeting with some professor or something for summer classes, so I just left it without saying anything.”

Nino scratched his head. “Why is catnip so exciting?”

“Well, actually, I don't know if it is yet, but I figured, since Adrien purrs like a cat - at least he does sometimes when he's transformed - maybe he'd like catnip.”

“Babe, why would we give him catnip?”

“Just an experiment,” Alya shrugged. “If it doesn't go well, we will get rid of the plants and pretend nothing happened, how about that?”

“Is this part of your master plan?” Nino asked, shaking his head. 

“Master plan? I don't have a master plan,” Alya feigned innocence. “Who do you take me for?”

“My devious but lovable girlfriend?” Nino walked back to the living room to finish pulling stuff out of boxes. Alya followed.

“Look, my girl Marinette -”

“OUR girl Marinette.”

“Our girl Marinette has literally been in love with that boy for seven years, and it's so painful to watch, you know that. And now we know she doesn't just love mild-mannered former model Adrien… She also loves his superhero alter ego, right?”

Nino tried not to smile. “I'm listening,” he said cautiously.

“Okay, SO. Our boy Adrien has been in love with Ladybug for seven painful years, right?”

“...yeah?”

“But does he love Marinette?” Alya asked. She continued before Nino could answer. “Poor Marinette is worried that nobody would love her for being HER, you know? She thinks everyone prefers Ladybug and like thinks she's some kind of disappointment or something.”

Nino sighed. “That sounds like something she’d say,” he replied sadly.

“I know, I know, but here’s the thing: our boy already loves her, he just doesn't know it's her, so we have to like… give them a little push. But if she thinks he knows she's Ladybug, she won't believe he loves Marinette, got it? So we can't push too hard.... I really don't have a good plan yet." She paused. 

“This is weirdly complicated, babe,” Nino said after a moment of contemplation.

“I KNOW!” Alya said, shaking him. “It’s tragic! We have to help them!”

Nino laughed. “Adrien’s dad was right. We are bad influences.”

“They NEED bad influences! I mean, look at them!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying it so far! All feedback is appreciated!


	15. Wednesday Patrol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which Ladybug overthinks and makes her own life difficult

Ladybug stretched, standing on the roof of her and Chat’s designated Wednesday patrol meeting spot.

It had felt cathartic to finally admit her feelings for her partner out loud to Alya, and she had felt at peace for a full day. But as she watched the man in question bound over the rooftops toward her, his green eyes glowing in the evening light, she started to feel less peaceful. By the time he reached her and flashed her one of his most flirtatious smiles, she thought she might fall apart.

It was great to finally say how she felt out loud, but now those feelings - which she kept under lock and key for years - seemed so much more real. And since she had finally acknowledged them, they were harder to ignore.

“Hey… partner,” she said, cringing at her own awkwardness as Chat tilted his head in confusion. _He doesn't know,_ she reminded herself. _Alya didn't tell him, so there's no way he knows._

“Milady,” Chat replied graciously, his smile faltering as he studied her face. “Something wrong?”

“Nope!” Ladybug replied an octave higher than she meant to.

Raising a masked eyebrow, Chat tried a different approach. “Is this because I didn't bring you flowers? I mean, I thought about it, but I thought it would just be too soon.”

“Too s-soon?” Ladybug stammered.

Chat raised both eyebrows. “Flower powered akuma yesterday?”

“Oh! Oh, ha. Yeah,” Ladybug giggled. “The akuma, of course.” _He doesn't know, he doesn't know, he doesn't -_

“Sooo, how about patrol?” He prompted, reaching towards her shoulder. She flinched away, and he pulled his hand back.

“Yes! Patrol! Let’s go.”

Fortunately, Ladybug’s awkwardness with Chat melted away as they ran around the rooftops of Paris together. It helped that she didn't need to speak to him; they worked so well as a team that they didn't need a lot of verbal communication, especially during routine patrols like this. She was careful not to initiate any sparring to avoid unnecessary contact, and by the end of their route, she thought she might actually survive the night.

After patrol, though, Chat very much wanted to talk. Ladybug felt her heart rate jump, and then she realized he just wanted to discuss the weird increase in akumas.

“This week has been pretty mellow,” he was saying, “but I'm a little worried… there were more the past couple of weeks than we've ever seen, and they were pretty powerful.” He grinned at his unintentional pun. “I'm just a little worried that Hawkmoth is winding up for something big.”

“I know what you mean,” she replied. She was worried about Hawkmoth, and she couldn't believe she was letting herself get so distracted by her partner’s pretty face. “We have to be prepared for whatever he throws at us.”

Chat sighed. “We’re probably as prepared as we can get, LB. All we really do is train and wait for him to make a move. And fight akumas.”

“I don't know about you, Chat,” Ladybug grinned, “but I do a lot more than just think about Hawkmoth in my civilian life.”

His ears drooped a little. “I didn't mean -” he sighed again.

“Are you saying we should bring the fight to him?” she asked incredulously. “We don't know where to start, remember?” This wasn't the first time one of them had come up with that idea, and it probably wouldn't be the last. She studied her partner’s face and realized he was probably just tired. She was too, after so many akumas in a row. She hadn't even gotten hurt like he had.

Chat shook his head. “We can't bring the fight to him because we don't know who he is, but… maybe… maybe there was a catalyst for the sudden increase in akumas.”

“Oh.”

“If we can maybe figure out what set him off, maybe we’ll be one step closer to identifying him.” He frowned and bent down to try to fix a loose tile on the roof.

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Ladybug gave him an encouraging smile, but she didn't feel very confident. Paris was a large city, and Hawkmoth could be anyone. They had tried to figure out his identity several times before and had failed, but she understood why Chat would want to try again. “Are you doing okay?” She asked him.

“Y-yes, of course,” he said, his pupils expanding into ovals. “Really great, actually.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just had some thoughts about Hawkmoth is all.”

She wondered if he even knew how easy he was to read sometimes. Even though they trusted each other with their lives, they still weren't always open emotionally. Biting her lip, she tried not to remind herself that this was how she knew he didn't actually love her. It hurt.

“Are you okay, my lady?” Chat asked softly.

“I'm fine, Chat,” she snapped. “Let’s go home and think up some ways to research Hawkmoth’s identity. We’ll compare notes during Friday’s patrol.”

Chat nodded and reached forward to take her hand, but she turned and swung away. As she ran, she could feel him watching her. She threw herself into an alley and detransformed. “Ugh, Tikki,” she moaned, “what is my problem? What is HIS problem?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! All feedback is appreciated!


	16. Catnip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat visits Marinette after patrol and accidentally gets into the catnip. And Marinette has feelings.

When she got home, Marinette spent twenty minutes staring at a blank page in her sketchbook. She absolutely refused to design any more Chat Noir themed fashion; she was pretty sure a quarter of her notebook was filled with black and green and paw prints. She needed to get a grip before her interest in her partner became like the Adrien fiasco when she was younger.

Of course, there wasn't nearly as much to know or obsess about with the masked superhero as there had been with Adrien. That was helpful, but she realized it was also kind of sad. It was silly to imagine Chat’s personal life on display the way Adrien’s used to be, but as his best friend and partner for the past seven years, she should know enough about him to properly obsess. Not that she wanted to be creepy, but she realized that so much of what she knew about him was vague.

She walked away from her sketchbook and climbed onto her balcony. Paris glowed at night, and the cloud cover, which had been rolling in while she and Chat were patrolling, seemed to reflect the light. Her eyes were drawn by a flash of lightning, and she was startled to see a familiar silhouette jump onto a nearby rooftop.

She shuddered, preferring to never see Chat lit up by lightning ever again. Thunder rumbled, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Why was that cat still running around? She raised a hand and waved when he got closer.

She could see his cat eyes reflecting the light as he froze, staring in her direction. She waved again, and he bounded over, crossing the rooftops between them with practiced ease. 

“Hello, _purr_ incess,” Chat greeted her with a grin. “What a pleasant sur _purr_ ise.”

“What are you doing out so late, kitty?” She asked.

“I could ask you the same thing, you know.” He would have seemed defensive if it weren't for the smile on his face.

“I always come out here when I'm looking for inspiration,” Marinette replied, “you know that.”

Chat’s grin widened. “Did you wave me over here because I'm your inspiration?”

“No,” Marinette mentally cringed. “I waved you over to say hi and because I was wondering what you're doing running around rooftops this late with a storm brewing.”

“So I'm not inspirational then?” Chat pouted dramatically, sitting on the railing and turning his face from her.

“I didn't say _that_. I just said that's not why I called you over.”

“Oh! So I _do_ inspire you then!” He leaned toward her, the Cheshire Cat grin back on his face.

Marinette smirked and leaned a little forward until their noses were almost touching. She could see his eyes widen in surprise. “You're a superhero,” she reminded him. “You inspire most of Paris.”

She stepped away from Chat, who seemed frozen in place until she giggled. As if suddenly released from a spell, he blinked at the empty space in front of him… and promptly fell forward, theatrically waving his arms and catching himself on one of Marinette’s potted plants. She giggled some more.

“This one’s new!” Chat announced, looking at the plant. “I don't remember you having it before.”

“Yeah, Alya brought it over earlier. You remember my plants?”

“I remember everything about you. What… what is this? It smells really…” Chat buried his face in the plant and breathed deeply. “What IS this?” His voice was muffled by the leaves. “OHMYGOSH it even tastes good!”

“I'm not actually sure what it is,” Marinette said, leaning down to examine it better. “I sort of forgot she told me she left me a plant until you mentioned it. What are you doing?”

“I don't even know,” he snickered, rubbing his face over the plant. “This is so… so good. You should try it.” He held a leaf up to her.

She took it and smelled it, and then she realized what it was. “Chat, I think this is catmint.”

“I am a cat, and I like mint…” He burst into giggles. “Cat. Mint. Catmint.”

“It's cat nip, dummy!” Marinette tried pulling him away from it, but a loud peal of thunder startled both of them, and they fell. The pot tipped over, catmint and dirt spilling out across her balcony. Chat rolled around in it like he was a literal cat. A cat that could giggle.

Marinette stared at him for a moment before deciding that she could not deal with that. She climbed back into her room and called Alya.

“Mmm, yeah, girl,” Alya mumbled. “It's late. What's up?”

“ _Alya_ ,” Marinette whisper-yelled, “ _you left CAT NIP on my balcony! Why!?_ ”

“I dunno, girl,” her friend yawned, “why do you think?”

“ _ALYA_!!!” Marinette hissed.

“Wait. Is he there?”

“ _He is literally high right now. Catnip makes cats HIGH, Alya_!”

“Oooh, well, I didn't really think that through, did I?”

“ _No. You didn't. Why do you hate me_?”

“I promise I only had your best interests at heart. What's he doing?”

Marinette sighed and tried to calm down. “Oh, you know, rolling around in the stuff. Giggling like it's the funniest thing ever.”

Alya laughed. “Girl, that's hilarious. And by that I mean, I'm sorry and I won't do anything like that again.”

“You better not.” She scoffed. A flash of lightning illuminated her room and Marinette swallowed hard, remembering her cat getting struck by that akuma’s lightning. “Alya, I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow.”

Marinette hung up with Alya and scrambled back onto the balcony. Chat was curled up in the remains of the catnip, and most of his giggles had given way to a purr. He was weirdly adorable with that silly smile on his face.

Thunder boomed in the sky, and she barely managed to contain a scream. Chat bounced up in surprise, his pupils round as he made eye contact with her. Beckoning him over, she made little clicky noises with her mouth. “Here, kitty kitty.”

He stumbled, but he came to her. She backed up and opened the trapdoor to her room. “Come on, kitty,” she encouraged, dropping her feet down onto her bed. He dropped to his knees and tilted his head in confusion. She brushed some dirt out of his hair before grabbing him by his bell and yanking him onto her bed and closing the trapdoor.

Marinette sighed in relief as heavy rain pounded against the skylight. They made it just in time. She collapsed next to Chat, and he inched closer to her, nuzzling his cheek on her shoulder. She could tell that he was kneading the bed between them. Between the rain and his purring, she could have fallen asleep, but frequent flashes of lightning and thunder so loud it shook the house made sleep impossible.

“You're upset,” Chat whispered eventually, his voice thick and vibrating.

“Why would I be upset?” She asked, her own voice shaking.

“I asked you _fur_ rst,” he replied. He rolled his Rs so much they became a purr all on their own. “Why is my _fur_ ry _purr_ ty _purr_ incess crying?”

“What? I-I’m not crying.”

Chat ran the back of his finger along her wet cheek, and she felt a sob building in her chest. “It's late, and I'm tired, Chat,” she whispered.

He pulled the covers up over them. “You can talk to me, if you want.”

Marinette watched a bolt of lightning streak across the sky through her skylight, and suddenly she couldn't take it anymore. As thunder boomed and shook the world around them, she rolled into Chat and wrapped her arms around him. And cried into his chest. Hard.

Chat stiffened in surprise but relaxed as she started sobbing. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his nose in her hair. His hands gently kneaded into her back, and his purring got even louder.

Or maybe it just sounded louder because she had her face buried in his chest and could actually feel the rumble. It was weirdly comforting.

“What were you doing tonight, kitty?” She asked, once her cries had become sniffles.

“Went on patrol with my lady,” Chat replied sleepily.

Marinette frowned. Their patrol had been over for an hour by the time she waved him over to her balcony. “Does she always keep you out so late?”

“Mm… no. I usually stay out a bit later by myself.”

“Why?” She wondered if he thought their patrols were inadequate or if he secretly preferred to patrol alone. She didn't understand, and the longer he took to respond, the more nervous she got.

Finally, he gave a little sigh and answered. “I… just never liked to go home.”

“Oh,” Marinette said, hugging him tighter. “You… you can come here if you don't want to go home.” If she had known, she would have made the offer years ago. She knew he wasn't exactly happy with his home life growing up, but she didn't realize how unhappy he was with it.

Chat chuckled. “Thanks, _purr_ incess. I have my own place now, I'm just not used to it yet.”

“Mmkay.” She reached up, resting her arm on his shoulder and running her fingers through his hair.

“We were sup _purr_ sed to be talking about what was upsetting you,” he reminder her.

“Th-the lightning,” Marinette admitted reluctantly. “D-doesn't it scare you a-after what happened last week?” On cue, thunder rolled, but she missed the lightning because she was buried in blankets and Chat.

He gave her a little squeeze. “No, but I understand why it would be scary.” His purr faltered. “I don't remember you being scared of storms before. Are you worried because of what happened?”

She nodded into his chest. “E-earlier, before I waved… There was this flash of lightning behind you, a-and that's when I saw you.” She sniffled, afraid she was going to cry again. “You… really worried me… and Alya, of course.”

“I'm sorry, _purr_ incess,” he whispered. “A civilian never should have had to see me hurt like that.”

Marinette squeaked. “No! No, that's not… Listen, kitty: if you are EVER hurt, you come to me, okay? I'm serious. Someone needs to look after you. Stray cats don't live as long as cats who have someone to take care of them.”

“Are you adopting me, then?”

“You know what? Yeah. I am,” she announced. Chat pulled her closer, burying his face between her neck and the pillow. She could feel him shaking. “Is that okay?” She asked, realizing she might have overstepped.

“Thank you,” he replied, his voice full of emotion. His purr seemed to intensify.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you are enjoying it. Any and all feedback is appreciated!!


	17. Walk of Shame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat and Marinette have a talk, and Adrien suffers a great deal of embarassment at home

Adrien woke up Thursday morning feeling safer, warmer, and more content than he had ever felt upon waking up before. Licking his lips, he realized he had a funny taste in his mouth, but it wasn't bad. He stretched like a cat, pressing his face and hands into the pillow and arching his back. It took several minutes to realize that he was not in his own bed, and it took another several minutes to realize whose bed it was.

He heard her giggle. _Marinette_. He had slept at Marinette’s again. This time in her bed, next to her. He had fallen asleep cuddling her and purring. Swallowing hard, he realized he'd never cuddled anyone before. Unless he counted that one time he fell asleep next to Ladybug on top of Notre Dame and woke up with his head in her lap. He kept his face buried in the pillow because he could feel the heat of a blush spreading all the way to his ears.

“I'm really surprised your transformation lasted all night,” Marinette said with another giggle. “Must have been the catnip.”

He made a “mrrrrp” sound into the pillow and then finally turned his head to look at her. “Princess,” he smiled sheepishly.

She was halfway up the ladder to the bed and was smiling at him. Her hair was damp, and he could smell strawberry and vanilla shampoo. “I really thought I was going to have to wake you up, kitty. I brought you breakfast, but you have to come down for it.” She disappeared below the loft.

“I’m sorry,” Chat said as he hopped off the bed onto the floor. Part of him was very sorry for invading Marinette’s personal space and staying all night, but another part of him wanted to sleep in her bed every night. “F-for, uh, you know, last night,” he added, rubbing the back of his neck, when she looked at him in confusion.

“Kitty, I should be the one apologizing to you, not the other way around.” Marinette held up a plate of crepes and smiled as he took it. He started to protest about her apology, but she cut him off. “I waved you over to my balcony, accidentally exposed you to catnip - I already had a talk with Alya about that, by the way - and then dragged you inside and cried on your shoulder for like forever. You didn't do anything wrong.”

Chat felt his cheeks turning pink again. _Alya knows. Which means Nino knows. I'm not going to live this down for a while._ “Everything after the catnip is a bit hazy, so...um…” 

“You didn't do anything wrong,” she repeated. “Eat.” She gently pushed him toward her desk chair, and he swiveled on it while he ate.

He paused when he saw an open sketchbook on her desk. “Is this your sketchbook?” he asked, knowing the answer would be yes.

“Yeah,” she huffed from beneath her chaise lounge. She was chasing a bobbin that had rolled under it.

“Can I look at your designs?”

“What?” She emerged victorious with the bobbin.

“Do you mind if I look at -”

“What! No!” She launched herself toward him and snagged the sketchbook before he could turn the page he was studying. “No,” she repeated a little more calmly. “I… um… They're secret designs, okay?” She clutched the book to her chest.

Eyes wide, he nodded. “I understand,” he assured her, even though he was more confused than ever. “I won't look if you don't want me to, but I'm sure they're all _meow_ gnificent.”

She sighed. “Thank you, Chat. I-I’m sorry. Maybe I’ll show you some when- when I'm ready. Maybe after I start this extra design class I just signed up for.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it starts next week. I've been a little nervous about it, but I think it'll be okay.”

He smiled. “I'm taking summer courses too,” he said before he realized that he wasn't talking to her as Adrien. He couldn't tell her that he got his first university degree recently and was well on his way to finishing a second program early. Not many other students could say that, and he supposed he owed his father a bit of credit for pushing his education so hard. But she would figure out his identity for sure if he told her anything about it.

“Do you remember what we talked about last night, kitty?” Marinette asked suddenly.

“It's still kind of hazy. I remember you crying.” He put a clawed finger on his chin, trying to remember more. “You didn't like the storm.” Frowning, he asked, “have you always been bothered by storms?”

She smiled a little sadly. “You're really sweet, you know that?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. What I want you to remember is that you promised to come to me if you ever get hurt again. Okay?”

“Oh.” He blinked at her. “Are you sure? I don't want to burden you…”

She put her hands on her hips. “Chat. Noir. You are one of the saviors of Paris. You are not and never have been a burden.”

He shifted uncomfortably beneath her stern gaze. “I just _meow_ nt that helping me when I'm injured is a lot to ask of you. I mean, you already helped me so much last week, and I'm really grateful, but I don't want you to have to -”

“First of all, I’m volunteering to help you. Because I want to. How many years have you been getting hurt without anyone to take care of you?”

“Most of my injuries aren't serious, and Ladybug -”

“Ladybug!? Where was Ladybug last week after you got electrocuted?”

“Actually, I think I was supposed to wait for her to-”

“I'm sure that's not the first time she's left you when you've been injured. Do you always make it home after?”

“I have a couple of safe houses, sort of, but -”

“You take care of your own injuries at a safe house?”

“Well, I have my own apartment now, so -”

“So?”

“...you really want me to come to you if I'm hurt?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“Good.”

They stared at each other awkwardly for what seemed like forever, and then Chat broke eye contact. “I need to get going. I'm not sure how much longer my transformation is going to hold.” He grinned. “This is the longest it's ever held before.”

“Alright, kitty. Don't get seen.”

“ _Cat_ ch you again, Princess,” he punned before escaping through her skylight.

Even though he knew that Alya and Nino were very much informed about where he was last night, he opted to sneak in through his bedroom window. Partially because it was much more concealed from prying eyes than walking into the building would have been. Sometimes it occurred to him that he was two famous people instead of one, and that made his life twice as difficult.

Of the two, he would always choose Chat. Chat was independence and freedom and trust. Chat was a hero. Chat was open and honest and fun. All things that Adrien had struggled with, things that Adrien had always wanted. Things that Adrien secretly was. Chat was his best self, mixed with a bit of Plagg.

He was actually trying to remove Adrien Agreste from the public spotlight - “physics student” was much less exciting to the press than “supermodel,” even if it was more exciting to him. The world had strange priorities, but he was okay with that.

Adrien grabbed some clothes and slinked quietly into the bathroom. It seemed like the apartment was empty; he was fairly certain that both Nino and Alya had work at this time. But he wasn't taking any chances. He turned on the water and took a long, cold shower.

He couldn't stop thinking about Marinette. Her face in his chest, her hand in his hair, her voice in his ears. He mentally berated himself. She was one of his best friends as Adrien, and aside from Ladybug, she was his best friend as Chat, and he felt bad that he hasn't revealed himself. It didn't seem fair that he was two different people with her. It didn't seem fair that Alya and Nino got to know and Marinette didn't.

But still, a part of him was terrified of telling her. Ladybug might forgive him for Nino and Alya finding out accidentally, but she might not forgive him for outright telling someone. And what if his friendship with her was damaged by the reveal? He would never forgive himself for disappointing his lady or hurting Marinette. There were too many variables. He needed to talk to Ladybug, he realized. He hadn't even told her about Alya.

After his shower, he tried sneaking back to his room, but he could hear Plagg complaining loudly in the kitchen, and he sighed. Somebody was home, and from the sound of Plagg’s voice, the little kwami had been ranting for a while. He had probably told them everything. In detail.

“In conclusion: No more catnip,” Plagg whined. “I'm serious!” He growled when the only response he got was giggling. “Adrieeeeen!” Plagg flew around his Chosen’s head. “Tell your friends they're jerks. Because they are.”

Nino and Alya both looked at Adrien and laughed harder, collapsing onto each other until they were both on the floor.

He knew his cheeks must have been tomato red from embarrassment, but he folded his arms and frowned. “Plagg’s right. You guys are horrible.” They laughed harder.

“I'm sorry, dude,” Nino choked out. “I told her she shouldn't have done it. The catnip, I mean. But it was too late.”

Alya cackled. “I love you, but I have no regrets, Agreste. None.”

“Okay, great,” Adrien grumbled, stepping around them to the fridge. “But now I can never look Marinette in the face again, so I hope you're happy.”

They positively howled with laughter. “Dude, that's rough because -” Nino could barely get his sentence out, “because tonight's game night, and she's coming over.”

Alya wipe tears from her eyes and kept laughing. “Sorry, kitty cat, but you're gonna have to face her.”

Adrien just stared at them. How had he forgotten game night? “My life is over,” he said before he could stop himself. “I-I'm going to be in my room. Possibly forever.”

“We’re gonna drag you out for game night,” Alya called after him. “We love you!”

Nino wheezed. “Alya, you're making it worse.”

“I'm making it worse? Who’s on the floor with me? Oh, that's right. It's you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you like it so far! Any and all feedback is appreciated. It keeps me going. :)


	18. Awkward Game Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette comes over for game night, and Adrien overthinks and is a gentleman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this chapter has taken so long! I have lots of reasons, but honestly it's because this chapter was destined to be awkward, and I get second hand embarrassment
> 
> Like, I know I'm the one writing the story and could avoid that, but I want them to stay in character, so I did the best I could
> 
> Why are my children like this?
> 
> If you get second hand embarrassment, too, don't worry: it really isn't that bad (it could have been but I stomped all over my imagination to make it hurt less so you're welcome)

True to his word, Adrien hid in his room for most of the day. Nino finally managed to coax him out by apologizing profusely and promising to get extra snacks for their game night.

“Angst isn't a good look on you,” Nino told him when he finally emerged

“You haven't even _seen_ angst on me, buddy,” Adrien laughed. 

Alya snorted. “I bet his photographers think it looks great on him.” She wasn't wrong; some of his photographers had complimented him for his brooding expressions in the past.

“Well, they probably would if I still modeled, buuut I don't,” Adrien said, flashing Alya a cheesy smile that would never have been allowed in one of his photo shoots.

“Yeah, he’s a free man, babe.”

“You make it sound like he was dating his career.”

“I kind of felt like I was. I had zero spare time.” Adrien chuckled, a little more bitterly than he intended. If he had ever even considered dated anyone, his father would have given him a lecture about how his career (and the reputation of the company) was more important than any of Adrien’s personal interests. As far as Gabriel was concerned, a modeling career was the only relationship his son was allowed to have.

Alya jumped up on a barstool and slung her arm around Adrien’s shoulder. “Especially when you spent the time you _didn't_ have as a superhero, huh?”

“Yeah, zero spare time. Less than zero.” He squirmed, trying to escape her grasp.

Alya tightened her grip and ruffled his hair. “So is that why Paris’s sweetheart never dated anyone?”

Nino laughed. “Alya, he’s always had his heart set on -”

“You promised me snacks, man, where are they?” Adrien interrupted. He wrapped his hand around Alya’s wrist to keep her from choking him.

Nino adjusted his glasses and smirked. “I haven't failed you, my dude. Mari’s bringing them.”

“Oooo,” Alya cooed, “snacks from Mari! Those are the best, _aren't they, Adrien_?” She waggled her eyebrows.

“Her family does have the best bakery in Paris,” Adrien replied blandly. He wasn't going to let Alya win whatever strange game she was playing.

She huffed and shoved him away as the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!”

Adrien gave Nino a look that he hoped was his second best _save_ _me_ face. Nino patted his back sympathetically as he called out a greeting to Marinette.

“Hey, guys!” Marinette said, waving her fingers as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. “I brought a box of goodies.”

“Thanks, bro!” Nino took the box from her and slid it across the counter toward Adrien.

“H-hi, Adrien. H-how are you?” As usual, Marinette stumbled over her greeting to Adrien, but she smiled brightly. 

Adrien had never figured out why she always had such a hard time talking to him, but he was grateful that she rarely struggled with anything past a greeting. He had always been a little afraid that she didn't like him, that she only hung out with him because of Nino and Alya... but she was always so considerate of him. She was so confusing.

Looking at her now, he was still confused. Last night, she had welcomed Chat Noir onto her balcony and had cried into his chest during a thunderstorm. A thunderstorm which only seemed to scare her because it reminded her of him getting hurt. He felt guilty about that. And about how she didn't know Chat Noir was Adrien, that she was currently making eye contact with the same boy she cuddled with last night.

Sometimes, she would touch his arm or give him a hug when she left, but she avoided prolonged contact. A hazy memory of holding her the night before made Adrien blush, and he wondered how upset she would be if she knew.

There was no trace of fear or sadness in her face today. Just deep blue eyes and a shy smile that morphed into a look of confusion as Adrien realized too late that he was intensely staring at her face.

“I-is something wrong?” She asked.

He mentally kicked himself for making her uncomfortable. “No! No, I just, um… thank you. For the snacks.” He looked away rubbed his neck uncomfortably before he glanced back at her. “How are you?”

Alya muttered “oh no, now they're both doing it” under her breath. Nino snorted.

“Good! I'm good.” Marinette’s smile returned to her face.

“That was a crazy storm last night, wasn't it?” Adrien regretted asking almost immediately, but she didn't seem to notice anything strange about the question.

“Yeah, it was. The thunder was so loud, it shook my house. It was kind of scary. I hope we don't have another one that bad for a while, honestly.”

Adrien nodded sympathetically.

“Tough luck, girl,” Alya announced, looking at her phone. “Weather report says thunderstorms later tonight and tomorrow. Maybe even the next day, but the percentage is a lot lower.”

Marinette made a face about the weather and then laughed. “I can always count on you for the news, Alya.”

“Yeah, you can!” Alya put a hand on her hip and held her phone out. “Look at all these apps. I swear I'm the most informed citizen in Paris.”

Nino waved a controller in the air. “Are we playing, or are we playing?”

Adrien brought the box of pastries with him as he and the girls joined Nino on the sofa. All of the awkwardness he felt melted away as they played, and they were having so much fun, they barely noticed the storm beginning to brew outside until rain began hammering against the windows.

Marinette frowned. “I should probably go.” She stood, leaving her controller on the coffee table.

Nino shook his head. “Dude, that looks pretty bad. Why don't you wait it out here?”

“Yeah, Marinette! It'll be safer to stay here. It's probably not going to let up any time soon.”

Already halfway to the door, Marinette shook her head. “Sorry, guys. I have to help in the bakery early tomorrow morning, and I want to get home before it gets any worse out there.”

Adrien followed her. “If we can't change your mind, at least let me walk you home.”

“O-okay,” she stammered, avoiding his gaze. “I don't mind going alone so you don't have to get wet, though. I was going to take the metro.”

“I wouldn't want you to walk to the station alone at night anyway,” Adrien said. “It's not safe. Let me get an umbrella, and I'll go with you.”

Alya grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at Marinette from the sofa while Adrien was getting his umbrella from the stand by the door. He politely pretended not to notice, as usual, but he wondered why Alya always teased Marinette like that. Marinette usually became even more flustered afterwards. He’d started noticing Alya doing that recently, so maybe there was a story behind it. He made a mental note to ask.

Marinette blushed and smiled as he held the door for her, and she avoided his gaze in the elevator. He sighed, wishing things were different between them. Why was she more open with Chat Noir?

“I like our game nights,” she said suddenly.

Adrien smiled. “So do I.” Maybe she did actual like being friends with him, even if it was weirdly awkward.

She glanced at him and returned his smile before the elevator doors opened, and they stepped into the building’s lobby. The rain fell in waves against the glass doors, and Adrien considered asking her to stay one more time.

“It's okay if you don't want to walk with me in this,” she told him before he could speak. “You’d be out in it twice as long as I will because you’ll have to walk back.”

“I’m happy to do it,” he assured her, admiring how considerate she was. Pushing open the glass doors, which resisted slightly because of the wind, he opened his umbrella and waited for her to join him beneath it.

Pausing, she stared at him, her blue eyes wide. For some reason, her cheeks flushed. His eyebrows raised, and he opened his mouth to ask her if something was wrong, but she blinked and rushed forward, almost tripping into him as she tried to huddle under the umbrella.

“Are you okay?” He asked, too aware that he'd asked her that more than once tonight. He was too tall to clearly see her face while they walked so close together, but he could tell she was looking at the ground.

“Mmhm,” she replied, her voice high as she ducked her head lower. “I'm great.”

Rain battered against the umbrella and their less protected legs as they walked. They pressed closer together to avoid the downpour, and Marinette tentatively reached up and grasped the umbrella just under his hand. As their hands touched, her breath hitched, as if his skin burned her, but at least she didn't let go.

He wanted to put an arm around her to make sure she stayed under the umbrella’s protection, but the way she reacted to his hand made him think his arm would not be wanted. Besides, with her holding the umbrella now, she couldn't stray too far.

Lightning flashed overhead, and she flinched, jumping into Adrien as thunder cracked. He put his arm around her protectively, despite his earlier reservations, and she didn't seem to mind.

It felt like it took forever to reach the metro station, but it was really just a few minutes. It fairly dry down there, at least. Adrien closed up his umbrella, and he smiled at Marinette when she turned to say goodbye to him before she stepped through the gate. Her face was still flushed, but she seemed pale, obviously still shaken by the lightning.

“Oh, no,” he said, trying not to look as deviously Chat Noir as he felt because of his own persistence. Adrien was never this assertive or persistent. “I’m coming the whole way. I'd hate to have to explain to Alya why her best friend disappeared on her way home from our place.”

Her lips formed an “o” before she smiled back and nodded, and they walked together onto one of the cars. It was fairly empty, and the people who were in the car with them got off at the next stop. Glancing at him, she fidgeted, her hands in her lap.

“Sorry,” she said quietly. “About before.”

“What?”

“When I practically jumped on you because the lightning startled me.”

“Oh. It's okay. Happens to the best of us.”

She carefully considered what she was going to say next. “I… have a good friend who got hit by lightning, and it still kind of freaks me out.”

“That's not shocking,” Adrien replied. “I mean, lightning can be pretty dangerous, and that’s scary. Is your friend okay?” He schooled his face into a look of concern, even though he knew perfectly well what she would say.

“Yeah, he got lucky.” She paused and frowned. “Did you just… make a pun?”

“What?” He thought back to what he said and realized that he probably did.

“You said… nevermind. This is our stop.”

They walked up to street level and were confronted by rain once again. Adrien popped open his umbrella and offered her his arm on a whim. She giggled as she slid her arm into the crook of his elbow.

“So, this friend…” he leaned close to her ear, so she could hear him talking over the rain. “Do I know him?”

“I don't know. Maybe.”

“Is he a secret friend?” He grinned, knowing that Chat Noir is definitely the kind of friend someone should keep a secret.

“Why would I have a secret friend?”

“I don't know. You've never mentioned him before, so I thought maybe he's a secret.”

“Oh, and I tell you everything about everyone, do I?” She teased.

He liked it when she teased him because it made their friendship feel more real. And showed more of her personality than she was accustomed to showing him. “I wouldn't mind if you did,” he replied, realizing the possible implications of his words too late.

She squeaked and didn't respond, so he had to think of something else to say to dispel the awkwardness that he could already feel building between them.

“Is your secret friend like… a boyfriend?”

“What!?” Her head jerked up, and she stared at him.

He cringed, unsure of her expression. “The, uh, the lightning friend… do you like him?”

“I, um. I… wow. Uh. Well. Kind of, yeah. I mean, I don't think it would ever work out because of reasons, but he's so… you know, and just…” She had begun to ramble, waving her free hand. “...and like he can never KNOW, you know? But why am I telling YOU this, of all people… not that there’s anything wrong with telling you, I mean obviously you're a good listener, but… oh my gosh. This is ridiculous. I'm so sorry.”

He frowned, torn between the surprise of Marinette actually liking Chat Noir and the hurt of her dismissal of Adrien.

“Oh wow,” Marinette barely whispered. “I really do like Chat Noir.”

Adrien heard her despite the rain because one of the perks (and probably downfalls) of being Chat Noir was above-average hearing even when not transformed. When he did transform, his hearing became even better.

Which was why he could hear the sound of screams and breaking glass down the street.

He paused, and Marinette, whose arm was still linked with his, paused too. “What's wrong?” She asked.

“I'm not sure, but I think… oh.” Just barely, he heard gunfire through the rumble of thunder. “Come on,” he took Marinette’s hand in his and ran. They were almost to her home, and his first priority was keeping her safe. Once she was inside, he would transform and find the crime scene.

They reached the bakery in mere minutes, and Marinette looked at him curiously while she unlocked the door. “What happened?”

“I thought I heard gunfire,” he told her, just as  
police vehicles wailed past. “I wanted to avoid a mugging.” He laughed. “Anyway, you're home safe now, so I’ll see you later. Good luck with your secret boyfriend.”

He made sure she was inside with the door closed and locked before briskly walking away and transforming in an empty doorway. If the cops already had this handled, good, but if not, Chat Noir would be there to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! It means so much to me. Thank you for all of the kudos and comments and subscriptions, too. You guys are seriously making my life.


	19. Robber on the Roof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir and Ladybug aid the police in apprehending a bad guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting so patiently for this chapter! I have no excuses for the full month of silence, just depression. 
> 
> Also, thank you so much for all of the support of this fic!!! I am so thrilled, you have no idea. You guys bring me life.
> 
> This chapter: gunshots and panic

When Chat Noir arrived at the scene, he was greeted by the flashing lights of three police vehicles and an ambulance. He located the most senior police officer as quickly as he could and asked if there was anything he could do.

Naturally, the police were happy to see him. Having a superhero around made their jobs easier and safer.

“We got these two,” a police officer explained, gesturing to two perpetrators in handcuffs. “But there's a third. He escaped that way, and our officers who chased him on the ground can't seem to locate him. He’s wearing all black and got away with a lot of cash. You wouldn't mind helping out, would you?”

Chat smiled. “I’d be delighted.” It wasn't every day he got to track down a human criminal.

“Thanks, Chat Noir! Good luck!”

Chat extended his baton and launched himself onto the roof of the shop. He'd have a better view of the criminal’s path from up here. A police helicopter circling around the arrondissement shone its light onto him, and he waved before the light moved back onto the street.

His multipurpose baton buzzed with an incoming call from Ladybug, and he answered. “Hey, LB. You miss me?”

“I know you missed me,” she replied with her usual sass. “I heard there was some commotion on -”

“Yeah!” Chat interrupted with an excited whisper as he caught sight of another shadow along the rooftops. It definitely wasn't Ladybug, who he had half expected to tell him she was already there.

“I think I just found the robber I was looking for. Gotta go.” He snapped his baton closed and crouched low, watching the man carefully make his way across a nearby roof.

The man must have climbed a fire escape to avoid police detection. It was a risky move, climbing onto the roof in this rain and wind, but it was effective for avoiding detection. Each time the helicopter circled around, the man hid in the shadow of a chimney.

Chat smirked. His night vision was better than a helicopter spotlight any day. Extending his baton, he launched himself toward the criminal. As he arched downward, he returned his staff to its normal size and flipped, landing crouched in front of his target.

“Hi there.” Chat smiled, cracking his knuckles as he stood. “I hear you've got something that doesn't belong to you.”

The man was still wearing a black ski mask, but Chat could see the surprise in his eyes. “Chat Noir!” The man gasped.

“Where?” Chat looked around comically and then pointed at himself. “Oh. You're right. That’s me.”

“You know better than to play with your food, kitty,” Ladybug called from the other side of the roof. Chat could hear her yo-yo twirl.

“But my lady,” he protested, “it's more fun this way.”

The man was backing up frantically, his head swiveling between the two superheroes as they cornered him. He started to lose his balance on the wet tile, but Ladybug caught him around the middle by using her yo-yo as a lasso.

“I'm a much better catch than he is, Ladybug,” Chat quipped.

“I've never needed to catch you, though, have I?” She asked, pulling the man into a more secure position. She flashed Chat a playful smile, and he felt his heart flutter.

The light from the helicopter had found them, and as it illuminated the rooftop, the robber pulled a gun from his belt and pointed it at Ladybug.

Time seemed to slow down. Chat’s heart plummeted into his stomach as he saw the light glint off the barrel of the gun. He ran, hoping to reach it before the man fired at his lady. Somehow, amid the whomping of the helicopter blades above them, the rain all around them, and the screaming of the sirens below them, all Chat could hear was the clicking of the trigger and the bullet whistling toward Ladybug.

The full sound of the gunshot didn't even register with him until he found himself suddenly in front of the gun, his destructive claws wrapped around the barrel as it rusted and turned to dust.

The sound of the shot rang in Chat’s ears.

The man staggered backward, his eyes full of fear. Or terrified.. He grabbed the man's shirt as the man started to fall off the roof.

“P-please d-don't kill me,” the man whimpered. “I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry!” He breathed loudly, wheezing in fear.

Chat blinked at him, and suddenly became aware of his own ragged breathing. He must have looked terrifying. He felt terrifying. Or terrified. He couldn't tell. “I'm not going to kill you,” he said softly.

He glanced backward at where Ladybug had stood just seconds ago. She wasn't there.

Chat jumped from the roof, and the man screamed. Because the man was significantly shorter than Chat, it was easy for Chat to land without worrying about him hitting the ground. Still, he landed a bit hard on his feet and remained stiff and upright as he handed the criminal over to the police.

The police spoke to him, but he didn't hear what they said. He could feel the hardness of his own face; his jaw was stiff, and his eyes tight. His wet hair felt plastered to the sides of his face. As soon as the man was off his hands, he leapt back onto the roof and raced to find Ladybug. He found sitting on a balcony one floor below the roof.

“My lady,” Chat whispered, dropping softly down next to her. He could feel tears in his eyes. “Are you alright?”

She frowned up at him. “The man -” she started, her voice full of concern, but Chat stopped her.

“He's fine. Let's get you somewhere safe.” He scooped her up and returned to the rooftops, trying to be as gentle as he could. She wrapped her arms around his chest and back.

It felt like forever before they reached one of Chat’s safe houses, but he had run so swiftly that his ring had only begun its first beep when he pushed open the little round window into the the shabby attic room of a slightly run down apartment building.

He had rented the place without any trouble or references at all a couple of years ago, and it had been very useful. He always paid three months in advance, so no one had any complaints or reason to investigate the space.

He gently laid Ladybug on the mattress that was on the floor and then switched on a lamp. Her wet hair darkened the blue pillowcase. 

They would be safe here. Even if he detransformed, at least they were in a safe place, and if he needed to call an ambulance for her, they had an address, and he could probably think of some sort of excuse.

Ladybug was still frowning, but it was a different frown than the one she had earlier. “Chat?”

He was looking her over as thoroughly as possible, and he didn't see any blood or tears in her suit. He was careful to keep his hands to himself because he didn't want to cause her any further harm. He did find a single scuff on one of the black spots over her ribs, and he focused on it with laser attention to make sure it wasn't worse than it seemed.

“Chat.” Ladybug took his face in her hands and forced his eyes back up to hers. “I'm okay, kitty, really.”

He stared at her, taking in everything he could. _She’s okay._ Her eyes were honest and open, and they looked concerned instead of pained. He thought he might drown in those big blue eyes.

Her voice sounded like bells, and for a moment he thought he heard rushing water. He felt light-headed, and his chest began to ache. Maybe he really could drown in her eyes. He wouldn't mind.

“Chat!” Ladybug moved her hands from his face and pressed them firmly against his shoulders. “Chat, why aren't you breathing?”

She shook him, and he gasped, his lungs burning as they filled with air. He hadn't realized. He looked down at his ring, which had just one paw print left now and realized how long he must have been staring at her without breathing.

“Chat, are you okay?”

He flopped onto the mattress next to her and took a couple of deep breaths before answering. “I was so worried, Ladybug. I was too slow, and you might have been really hurt, and I'm sorry.”

“You know our suits protect us pretty well,” Ladybug told him. “I know you feel like you need to protect me all the time, but… really, kitty, I’m fine.”

“I used cataclysm on the gun, but the bullet had already left the barrel,” he continued. “Then I handed the robber over to the cops before coming to find you. I don't… I don't know what I'd do without you, my lady. You are everything.” He felt his chest squeezing tight again.

Ladybug pressed a kiss to Chat Noir’s forehead. “You did good. More than good. Thank you.” She paused. “Your transformation is about to give out.”

Chat’s eyes widened as the final series of beeps began, and he rolled toward the wall. “I'm sorry, my lady. I know you don't want to know who I am, but...you can stay, if you want.”

“I'd rather get home before my own transformation gives out, but thank you. It's really late, Chat. I hope you'll be okay tonight.”

“It's you I'm worried about, my lady.”

“I know, but I promise I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow for patrol, okay?”

“Of course.”

Ladybug was out the window by the time green light enveloped Chat Noir and left Adrien in his place. Adrien wrapped his arms around himself and curled up.

Plagg located the room’s stash of Camembert almost immediately and started eating. “Did you want to go back home tonight?” He asked.

“No,” Adrien mumbled. “It's late, and it's raining, and I’m tired. Let's just stay here.”

“As long as I have cheese, I’m happy.”

Thunder rumbled outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO MUCH for reading. I really hope you've enjoyed it so far. Feedback is definitely appreciated. Seriously. I love you guys. <3


	20. Not Very Howl-arious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hurt the cat. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO MUCH for your patience. How has it been 7 whole months? I feel like this year is on fast forward. The last couple of months I've done nothing but work on a massive poetry manuscript for submission to a thing. Thank goodness that's over. Now I can get back to fun stuff. Anyway, THANK YOU for all of your kind words and encouragement. It means so much to me to know you guys enjoy my writing. <3

The sun hadn’t yet risen when Adrien awoke to the sound of loud howls echoing theatrically in the street near his safehouse. “Does Hawkmoth even sleep?” He grumbled, peering out the window.   
  
Plagg groaned. “He has REALLY got it out for us lately. Have you noticed?”  
  
“How could I NOT notice, Plagg?”  
  
“I dunno. You're pretty dense sometimes.”  
  
“Thanks.” Adrien rolled his eyes. “Claws out.”  
  
“We need a vacation!” Plagg cried as he disappeared into the ring.  
  
Adrien wasn't sure he'd ever need a vacation from being Chat Noir. A vacation from being Adrien, on the other hand… he had only recently begun to feel like maybe he didn't need a life-long vacation from Adrien.  
  
He didn't bother contacting Ladybug right away. She wasn't a morning person and wouldn't appreciate getting woken up this early. Besides, he thought he could at least locate and engage the akuma first.  
  
He found the akuma in the middle of the street several blocks away. It was large - almost twice as tall as Chat - and looked like an Old Hollywood wolfman. It stood awkwardly on beastial legs with torn blue pants, and its long, muscular arms ended in two-inch claws. A pendant, with a crescent moon and a wolf, hung from a chain on its thick chest. The akuma swiveled its heavy, wolffish head toward Chat Noir and snarled as the outline of a purple butterfly appeared across its eyes.  
  
Hawkmoth was giving his new pet orders, and Chat was not going to like them. Chat activated the phone feature of his baton and left a message when, unsurprisingly, his lady didn't answer.  
  
“Hey, bug, sorry to bother you so early,” he whispered, watching the wolfman’s ears rotate. He knew his position was compromised even before he made the call. The beast could smell him. “I've got a _hairy_ situation that will need your special attention. I’m -”  
  
“I am Werebeast,” the wolfman growled, his voice inhuman and guttural. And LOUD. Chat’s ears flattened against his head.  
  
The butterfly vanished, and Werebeast lunged, mouth open and watering, at his prey. Chat closed his baton and broke it in half, preparing to fight.  
  
“You interrupted my _beauty_ sleep, you _beast_ ,” Chat snarked, leaping backward to avoid the claws. He was surprised at the akuma’s speed, but he realized that the akuma was focused solely on him, and he could use that.  
  
“Wanna play fetch?” Chat asked, waving half of his baton. Werebeast snapped his jaws toward Chat’s arm. “You just want some of this tasty kitty for breakfast, huh? Gotta catch me first!”  
  
Chat was used to playing parkour tag all over the city, thanks to years of practice and patrols with Ladybug, but he quickly realized that this was a different game altogether. Werebeast was extremely motivated by whatever Hawkmoth had said to him, and he was decidedly more vicious than most previous akumas. He was fast and powerful and could jump long distances. He and Chat raced across the city -mostly over rooftops- on all fours, lashing out at each other when they could.  
  
Chat didn't like how the akuma snapped at his ankles, and he glanced back at it at the wrong moment, tumbling from a roof into an alley. Werebeast leapt down and landed in front of him, blocking him in.  
  
“You know,” Chat said, breathing hard, “the sun is coming up, right? Aren't you supposed to turn into a human… or a pumpkin… or something?” His banter was suffering. How long had they been running in circles, and where was Ladybug?  
  
Werebeast snorted, planting his clawed hands on the ground. His eyes glowed red, and his breath smelled like kibble.  
  
Chat pressed himself against the wall, gauging his surroundings for an exit strategy. There wasn't one, unless he could by some miracle parkour from this wall to the next without getting caught.  
  
He unhooked his baton from his belt and prepared to pole vault instead. He smiled at the somehow-more-terrifying-in-daylight akuma before extending his baton and lifting himself far above the beast’s head. Werebeast responded by throwing his head back and howling so loud the nearby dumpster shook.  
  
Chat’s sensitive cat ears flattened against his head, and he wobbled on his baton. The howl must have been the akuma’s power - in addition to super speed and strength. Chat’s head felt like it was splitting open from the noise.  
  
Werebeast howled again, and car alarms started going off in the street. Most of the citizens who were beginning their day knew better than to go outside during an obvious akuma attack like this, but some people still yelled out their window for quiet, and a few managed to deactivate their car alarms.  
  
Chat toppled off of his baton and covered his human ears with his hands. He had never experienced sound like this. It was excruciating. He felt like he would shatter from the inside out.  
  
When Werebeast howled a third time, everything went black. The next thing Chat was aware of was a massive hand pressing down on his chest with claws digging into his left collar bone. He could feel the claws sharply through his suit.  
  
He could also feel the beast’s humid breath on his face and wondered why he wasn't dog food yet. Cracking open an eye, he discovered the reason: Hawkmoth’s purple butterfly giving (or negotiating) orders to the akuma.  
  
Chat wiggled a bit, which made the beast tighten its grip. He heard his suit tear and felt the claws sink into his flesh. He winced in pain. At least he had done what he needed to do to be able to reach the pendant on the akuma’s chest. He tried to yank it off instead of destroying it; if he lost the butterfly before his lady could purify it, they would have much bigger problems.  
  
Werebeast snarled, breaking communication with Hawkmoth and sinking its fangs into Chat’s right shoulder. Yelping, Chat Noir struggled, managing to kick himself free. Werebeast lashed out, slashing his claws into Chat’s side before Chat grabbed the pendant and launched himself straight up onto the roof.  
  
With Werebeast only seconds behind him, Chat began another game of parkour tag, this time with the realization that if he lost, he would be eaten alive, and his lady would have to defeat the akuma alone.  
  
“Come on, LB,” he whined, trying to contact her again as he ran. “Please pick up.” Nothing. He hoped she was okay.  
  
What if she actually wasn't okay after that gunshot last night? What if something happened to her since then? What if she was upset with him? He felt himself spiraling, his thoughts racing almost as fast as his feet. No… no, his lady was always fine. She was strong. She was probably just busy.  
  
The beep of Ladybug’s voicemail brought Chat Noir back to reality, just in time to realize Werebeast had somehow gotten in front of him while he was distracted. Chat skid to a halt, stopping just barely out of his enemy’s reach.  
  
“Ho _wl_ did you get ahead of me?” He joked feebly.  
  
Even though Chat had the occasional advantage and managed to lose Werebeast more than once, he kept getting cornered. Werebeast’s sense of smell was a real problem for the injured and increasingly weary superhero.  
  
“Not much of a _chat_ ter, huh? Are you growling, or is that your stomach?” He laughed a little, tightening his grip on both his baton and the pendant and backing away. He considered breaking the pendant again, but he was horrified by the idea of an army of giant wolfmen hunting Ladybug with the same vengeance with which Werebeast hunted him. He had to find Ladybug.  
  
His baton buzzed, and relief washed over him. “My lady, I need you,” he announced immediately as he answered.  
  
“I know, Chat. I’m sorry, but I’m on my way now.”  
  
“Where are you? I’ll head your way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying the story! Any and all feedback is appreciated!
> 
> Drop by my fandom tumblr (foldingthepage) and say hi if you want.


	21. Wolfman meets Buggirl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we discover what Marinette was doing while Chat was running for his life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, nothing from me for months and then two updates in a single month? You've got to be kitten me.

When Marinette left Chat’s… safehouse? (It had to be a safehouse. She probably should have asked.) She felt guilty. He'd been so scared for her, and she just left him. But she couldn't have stayed: she had to get home so she would be there for work in the morning, he was transforming back into whoever he really was, and she… she had too many emotions about too many things.

The bullet had knocked her off the roof and left her breathless, but aside from a painful bruise, Marinette sustained no serious injuries. That didn't stop Chat from treating her as if she was some sort of damsel in distress. He rushed her to that safehouse as if her life depended on it, and he looked…

“Was he panicking, Tikki?” Marinette asked as she handed the little kwami a chocolate chip cookie. “He looked panicked.”

“You could have been really hurt, Marinette,” Tikki replied. “He was probably quite shaken up.”

“I've just never seen him panic. Like, he doesn't do that, Tikki. He worries or he gets upset, but he doesn't panic. It was weird.”

“He cares about you, and neither of you ever got shot before, so he probably didn't know what to expect. It could have been a very serious situation, and we are all lucky that it wasn't.”

“I know. Ugh. That was awful.” She lifted her shirt and examined her new bruise. “Ouch.”

“You still have to work in the bakery in a few hours, Marinette,” Tikki reminded her. “You'd better get some sleep while you can.”

“Thanks. Hopefully Hawkmoth will take a day off tomorrow.”

Marinette buried herself in her blankets, and when she woke up three hours later to the usual combination of her alarm and Tikki’s insistence, she groaned and grumbled all the way down to the bakery.

Tikki stayed snuggled cozily in Marinette’s bed, but not for long. The sun wasn't even up when she received a call from Chat Noir’s batonphone. She sighed, knowing how unhappy Marinette would be about this. They could both use a break.

Getting Marinette’s attention while she tiredly helped her parents in the bakery was a challenge that proved fruitless for a good thirty minutes. For one thing, she had to hide to prevent Marinette’s parents from discovering her as they bustled around in preparation for the day. For another, Tikki’s high pitched whisper-yell just wasn't enough to snap Marinette out of her early morning work mode. Zombie Marinette, as Tikki sometimes joked.

Chat Noir tried calling again, and Tikki managed to sneak into Marinette’s hair as she walked by.

“Marinette!” Tikki hissed. Startled, Marinette jumped, accidentally launching the tray she was carrying into the air. Fresh rolls flew in multiple directions, and one of them smacked her dad right in the forehead before dropping to the floor.

Stunned, he looked down at the roll in silence before raising an eyebrow and starting to chuckle. He looked up at Marinette, whose mouth and eyes all seemed stuck in an “o” position, and his chuckle increased to a deep belly laugh.

“I can always count on you to make me laugh,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes.

“Sorry, papa,” Marinette finally squeaked.

“Don't worry about it, cupcake,” he replied. “Made my morning. I think I'm about caught up if you want to go have breakfast and relax. Maybe go back to bed? Ha.”

“Thanks, papa. I'll just clean up the escaped rolls and get out of the kitchen.” She smiled sheepishly. “I guess we’re lucky this is the only clumsy accident I've had this morning.”

He laughed again, leaning down and kissing her on top of her head. “You sure do keep life interesting. Thanks for your help.”

Marinette picked up her mess quickly and then fled, taking the stairs several at a time to get to her room as fast as possible.

“What were you trying to tell me, Tikki?”

“Chat Noir has been trying to reach you, Marinette! He's left messages!” Face full of concern, Tikki hovered just inches in front of Marinette’s eyes.

“What!? What happened!?” Marinette spun around, grabbing her phone from where she forgot it under a pillow. “There are multiple Ladyblog Alerts, oh no! And it looks like Alya has tried to call a few times.”

She tentatively opened one of the alerts, which showed shaky footage through a closed window of Chat Noir facing of with a huge…werewolf?... in the street. The article beneath the video warned people to stay indoors until the threat subsided.

The next alert was a picture (clearly taken with a good camera from a lower level across the street) of Chat Noir and the werewolf on a rooftop. Chat looked injured, and Marinette gasped. The article below the image described the akuma as extremely dangerous and vicious, though seemingly only interested in Chat Noir.

“What do you think, Marinette?” Tikki asked. “You probably should listen to his messages right away.”

Marinette took a deep breath and nodded, shoving her phone into her pocket before saying the magic words. “Spots on!”

Seconds later, she was suited up, and she immediately flipped open her yo-yo to listen to Chat’s messages. Before she could, he was calling again, and she answered it.

“My lady, I need you,” he announced as he answered. His voice was strange, as though he was forcing it.

“I know, Chat,” she said as she launched herself from her rooftop. “I’m sorry, but I’m on my way now.” She felt so bad for leaving him to deal with this akuma on his own for so long, so she was trying to make up for lost time.

“Where are you?” Chat asked. “I’ll head your way.”

“I'm almost to the Eiffel Tower. I should be able to see you from there.”

“Perfect. Thanks, Bug.”

The call ended, and Ladybug pushed herself to move faster. She shouldn't have forgotten her phone in her room. She shouldn't have left Tikki sleeping in her bed. She should be more reachable. She should have just stayed with Chat at his safehouse and come to work in the morning.

 _Actually, no,_ she thought angrily as she threw herself onto the cool iron of the Eiffel Tower and scrambled upward. _This is all on Hawkmoth. I'm trying to live two lives because he steals people’s lives and uses them like puppets to attack the city. This is ridiculous._

She spotted her partner careening toward her on all fours at top speed with the werewolf akuma on his heels.

“Chat!” She called out, and he jerked his head up to see her.

Too quickly. She could tell something was wrong when he lost his balance. He flailed, pitching forward. He rolled to the side as the beast caught up to him and pounced.

“Cataclysm!” Chat threw a pendant forward as he pressed his other hand to the ground, and darkness spread out around him. Crackling, the ground gave way, dropping both superhero and akuma into a cavernous hole.

Ladybug jumped from the tower to join the fight. “Chat Noir!” She shouted, hoping her idiot partner was okay. He had better have a good reason for what he just did. She was right here! She was seconds away from coming to his rescue!

She paused at the edge of Chat’s crater when she saw the pendant. “Is this the akumatized item?” She asked aloud, picking it up and inspecting it.

Peering into the crater, she called out, “Chat Noir!?”

A faint groan answered her. And then a deafening howl. Chat cried out in pain. The beast growled.

Ladybug broke the pendant and breathed a sigh of relief when a dark butterfly fluttered out. She captured it, purified it, and released it back into the wild.

“Chat!? I'm coming down to get you guys before I cleanse the city.”

“No prob, LB,” Chat choked out. 

Using her yo-yo, Ladybug repelled into the hole and found her partner, surrounded by rubble and ash, deep in the center of it. His suit was shredded in places, especially near his clavicles and around his calves, and his breathing was labored. Blood oozed from open wounds and shined on his black suit.

“Holy cats, Chat,” she whispered, kneeling next to him. “I'm so sorry.”

“Get the victim first,” he reminded her, patting her arm gently. “I'll be okay.” He flashed her a half smile and blinked slowly.

Looking around, Ladybug located the victim, a middle aged man with long blond hair. He was wearing a “call me cryptid” t-shirt and blue boxers. “Sir?” She prompted quietly as she approached. “It's going to be alright.”

The man looked up at Ladybug and then at his surroundings. “Oh no,” he whispered. Then he saw Chat. “OH no. Wow. I'm so sorry. I - my cable went out during a movie marathon, and I - I didn't think I was upset enough to… to… What did I do?”

Chat’s ring beeped.

“Let me help you,” Ladybug offered, pulling the man’s arm over her shoulders. “Up we go!” The yo-yo hoisted them up, and she swung clear of the hole before setting him down.

The man took Ladybugs hand. “Tell Chat Noir that I'm sorry for whatever I did. I'm actually a big fan of you guys and what you do. Big fan. Are you aliens?”

“Akumatization can happen to anyone,” she reassured him. “I promise, no one holds that against you. Especially not Chat Noir.” She giggled. “No, we’re not aliens. The paramedics just arrived, and I'd like you to go with them, just to be safe, okay? What's your name?”

“Ringo,” he answered.

“Nice to meet you, Ringo. I'm going to go rescue the damsel that is my partner, and then I'll cleanse the city, and it will be okay.” She directed him toward the approaching paramedics and then dove back into the hole.

Chat’s eyes were closed, but he smirked a little as she started to lift him up. “Thought you forgot about me, my lady,” he mumbled. “Thanks for coming back.”

“I always come back for you, kitty.” Ladybug lifted him gently out of the hole and pulled him into her lap as soon as they were on solid ground. 

“I was almost dog food today, Bug,” he murmured. “It was embarrassing.” He pressed his head into her hand as she moved some hair out of his face. His ring beeped a third time.

“I feel like it's always embarrassing to be you, Chat.”

He snorted.

“Lucky charm!” Ladybug called, and then laughed as a dog whistle fell into her hand. “Miraculous cure!” She shouted, throwing the whistle back into the air. She smiled as pink light washed over Chat Noir and mostly healed his suit.

As his ring beeped a fourth time, he hopped up, looking better but exhausted. “Thanks for coming to my rescue, my lady,” he said, kissing her hand. “I must bid you farewell.” He leapt away, headed for safety before his transformation gave out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Honk if you remember the Lone Gunmen.] (Gods, I feel old)
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying this fic so far! Comments/feedback bring me life, so keep it coming!
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr! FoldingthePage


	22. Breakfast for Snoozers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now... filler?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another timely update!? I'm so proud of myself. *preens*

Alya grabbed Chat Noir by the tail as he ran by, yanking him into a narrow alley. He yelped in surprise, pitching forward and almost landing on his face. Ironically, Alya pulling on his tail kept him from smacking his face on the pavement.

“Heya, kitty,” she said, releasing his tail as he righted himself. “Thought this was a good place for you to transform.”

“Were you filming that akuma?” He asked, his voice full of concern. His transformation dropped suddenly, and Plagg flew out of the ring.

She rolled her eyes. “Just the last bit of it. That thing almost ate you alive, so I came out here with some cheese for Plagg.” She held up a lunch bag that Plagg immediately dove into.

“Thought you two might have needed some help after,” she continued. “Glad I was wrong.” She poked his collarbone where he had been bitten, and he hissed, pulling back.

He pulled down his shirt collar and made a face. “Oh, man, I'm so glad I don't model anymore. I would not be able to hide this.”

“What is it?”

“I've got some nasty bruises.”

Plagg poked his head out of the bag. “Kid, you are lucky. I worked super hard to fix you up.”

Adrien smiled. “You do good work, Plagg, thanks. And thank you, Alya, for thinking of us. Really.”

“No problem.” Alya texted Nino that she found Adrien and that he was okay.

Adrien leaned his head over her shoulder to see what she was typing, and suddenly, Ladybug crashed into both of them. Alya fell to the side, clutching her phone for dear life, and Adrien ended up sprawled on the ground beneath his lady. He swallowed a pained whimper as Ladybug lifted her head from his chest to look at him.

They stared at each other silently for a moment, their cheeks burning redder by the second. Her earrings beeped. Alya snapped a photo on her camera.

Finally, Adrien spoke. “L-ladybug!?”

Plagg started to snicker, so Alya shoved him further into the bag and zipped it shut.

“Adrien?” Ladybug blinked. “Adrien! Oh! Gosh, I am so sorry. Are you okay?” She pushed herself to her feet and offered him a hand.

He took it. “F-fine, thank you.”

“I didn't realize anybody would be in this alley so early, but of course,” she glanced back at Alya, “the Ladyblogger always knows where I’ll be.” 

“Great job today, Ladybug!” Alya said. “You and Chat Noir are a great team!”

Adrien nodded numbly. 

Ladybug smiled. Her earrings beeped again. “Gotta go!” She said, tossing her yo-yo and swinging onto the roof. Adrien stared after her.

Alya clapped Adrien on the back. He flinched but smiled sheepishly at her. “So, lover-boy. You want to go get some breakfast? I bet I could get Marinette and Nino to join us.”

“Sure.” 

Plagg poked his head out of the bag that Alya had finally unzipped. He snickered. “Lover-boy.”

“Shut up, Plagg.”

“You two want to tell me why you didn't come home after walking Marinette home last night? She texted me when she arrived safely, but you didn't even answer when Nino called.” Alya steered them onto the main road. 

“I forgot to charge my phone yesterday,” Adrien replied sheepishly. “I stayed in a safehouse because it was super late after Ladybug and I dealt with a burglar.”

“Oh.” Alya wasn't sure what she expected, but this was boring by comparison. “No wonder you look so tired.”

“He’s tired? What about me? I do most of the work around here.” Plagg pouted.

“Yeah, yeah,” Adrien grumbled. He was exhausted, and he believed that Plagg was, too, but he didn't have the energy to put up with complaining. 

Alya rolled her eyes as she texted Marinette. “You get to recharge with smelly cheese,” she reminded the kwami. “Adrien can't do that.” 

“That's what he gets for being  _ human _ ,” Plagg scoffed. Adrien huffed a little but said nothing.

Alya led them to a cute little cafe with striped awnings where Marinette was already waiting for them. 

Adrien dropped heavily into a chair. “Didn't you have to work this morning?”

Yawning, Marinette nodded. “I did, but I kind of… dropped a tray, so Papa told me I could go back to bed. And then the akuma happened, and it was loud, so I couldn't go back to sleep.”

Alya thought it was both strange and endearing to witness her two idiot friends being idiots. She waved down Nino, who looked slightly more awake than the two superheroes. He kissed her as he sat down.

“Morning everybody,” he said. Marinette and Adrien both mumbled unintelligible greetings, and Nino raised his eyebrows at Alya. “Rough morning, guys?”

Marinette folded her arms on the table and buried her face. “Mmhm.”

Alya ordered food for all of them, since she was the most awake of the bunch. Nino grumbled about how he could have stayed in bed since Marinette and Adrien should have gone to bed instead of breakfast. 

Adrien blinked slowly at the drink that a server placed in front of him. His eyebrows furrowed in mild confusion, and Alya swore she could see his tired brain buffering. 

“You're supposed to drink it, man,” Nino supplied helpfully. “It's one of those frothy sugary coffee drinks.”

“I don't remember ordering it,” Adrien admitted. 

Alya laughed. “You didn't! I ordered it for you, since you were a bit busy staring blankly at this spot on the table.”

Sheepishly, Adrien picked up the mug. “I'm sorry,” he said, “it's just… all these akumas are really starting to get to me, you know?”

Marinette mumbled something about akumas and somehow buried her head further into her arms. Adrien fumbled with his mug, and his eyes widened as he turned to look at her. He had forgotten she was there. Cappuccino dripped over the side of the mug onto his pants, and he cursed quietly, jumping in surprise and spilling more coffee in his lap. He sat the mug on the table to prevent more spillage. Marinette didn't move.

“The whole city is feeling the akuma thing, my dude. People are starting to seem kind of skittish and weird.” Nino handed Adrien an extra napkin.

“You sure that's not the tourists?” Alya asked. She reached forward and pulled Adrien’s mug away from the edge of the table while he tried to clean up his pants.

“Nah. Tourists are loud and confused.”

“True.” 

Adrien was more awake (and clearly internally freaking out about how close he came to exposing his identity to Marinette) by the time food came, but Marinette was fast asleep. They had to wake her up when they were finished eating and get a box for her food.

She rubbed her eyes and dragged her feet as they left, so Alya carried her box. “Come on, Mari, I’ll walk to your place with you. Maybe we could watch a movie.”

Adrien stretched his arms over his head and waved, but Marinette barely noticed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I LOVE feedback/comments/art/unintelligible screaming, so don't be afraid to say hi! 
> 
> Find my fandom Tumblr at foldingthepage.tumblr.com  
> (I use mobile, so I'm kind of terrible at tagging, but if you need anything tagged, I can work on that)


	23. We Need to Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir have a conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I'm getting back in the groove of things. Or trying to.

Patrol came, as usual, too soon for Ladybug and not soon enough for Chat Noir. He had a lot he needed to talk to her about, and things had been happening so quickly recently that he felt the list of discussion topics piling up in his chest. He was nervous.

He spent most of the day (after a beautiful two-hour nap) hanging out with Nino at the record store where Nino worked, explaining between customers how Ladybug was probably going to drown him in the Seine. Nino told him repeatedly that he should go back home and take another nap, but Adrien had worked himself up too much.

So here he was, pacing across the roof of their Friday patrol spot. Waiting. Mentally practicing what he was going to say to his Lady.  _ I’m really sorry, LB, but two of my four civilian friends know I'm a superhero, and I desperately want you to know, so I stop feeling guilty about them finding out, and hey, maybe you and I could be friends in real life, too, please don't throw me in the river….  _ He sighed, turning on his heel and pacing in a different direction.  _ Dear Ladybug, I messed up. My best friend and his crazy reporter girlfriend know who I am, and it's just a matter of time before another friend finds out. I've also hung out with her as Chat Noir a few times? What do you want me to do? Please don't drown me or my friends in the river…  _

The familiar whirring of a magic yo-yo broke his concentration, and he froze, his tail sticking straight out.

“Goodness, kitty, you look like you swallowed a mouse. What's wrong?” Ladybug raised a masked eyebrow.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Chat smiled sheepishly. He wished he was better at confrontation (or whatever it was he was trying to achieve here). “I just… I think we have things we need to, um, talk about. That's all.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened fractionally. “Oh! I totally forgot we were supposed to research Hawkmoth this week.”

Chat chuckled. “I totally forgot about that too, actually. That's not what I -”

“Also, I am SO SO sorry about this morning,  _ chaton _ , I feel so bad that you almost got LITERALLY EATEN because I can't get my life together! Are you upset? You can tell me if you're upset.”

“What? No, I'm not upset. I am wondering if there's something I can do to stop akumas if you're busy. I mean, I can't purify them, and this morning I was worried that if I broke the amulet before you got there, the butterfly would escape, and there would be a whole army of bloodthirsty werewolves out to get us.”

Ladybug paused. “Oh.” She frowned, rubbing her chin in thought. “That's a good question. I don't know. I'll have to talk to Tikki about it. Maybe you could… Hm. Maybe you could, I don't know, eat the butterfly or something?”

“Eat it!?” His tail flicked wildly, and he made a face.

“Yeah? Well, I mean, they can travel through solid objects, right? I think. Or maybe they just get absorbed into them? Have you ever seen one go through a closed window?”

“Maybe I'll try putting one in a jar and bringing it to you? ...which I can't do because I don't know who you are.” His ears flattened, and his tail dropped a bit. “LB, we gotta talk.”

“Do I need to sit down for this?” she asked, tilting her head in confusion. 

“No? Maybe. Ugh. I need to sit down for this.” Chat flopped onto the roof and crossed his ankles, loosely wrapping his arms around his knees. He sighed. Why was this so difficult?

Ladybug sat down gently beside him. He could feel her trepidation. He was making things worse for both of them by being awkward.

Taking a deep breath, he began, “Alya knows my identity.” He paused there, half-cringing, waiting for his partner to be angry or disappointed. He'd rather she be angry.

“I was wondering when you were going to tell me,” Ladybug replied, amusement in her voice. 

He looked at her in surprise. “You knew?”

She nodded. “Alya’s our biggest fan, remember?”

“Well, yeah, but… wait. Does she know your identity too?”

Ladybug turned her face toward the city and rubbed her left arm. He studied her face, watching as she chewed her bottom lip.

“Ladybug,” he promoted, his voice deeper than he had intended, “does Alya know who you are?”

She nodded quickly before turning her face away completely. 

“Oh.” Chat released his knees and rested his arms against his thighs. He leaned forward until his forehead rested on the warm roof. He felt as if the world had just emptied out of him. 

After a few moments of silence, Ladybug cleared her throat. “Thanks for telling me, Chat. I should have told you, too, but…”

“It's fine, LB,” he said, lifting his head and focusing on the lights of the city. He knew that she never had any intention of telling him that she'd been discovered. That's why she just trailed off. She didn't know what to say to make it not hurt. “I know you don't want me to know who you are. It's okay.” His voice was much steadier and softer than he felt. “I’m not sure if I really want you to know who I am anymore, anyway. I understand.” 

“No, Chat, that's not…” Ladybug couldn't seem to find the words she needed. She frowned at him, and he could feel it, but he wouldn't look her way. “Do you really not want me to know anymore?” She asked.

He stood up and stretched. It was easier to talk about feelings when he felt like his had all been sucked away by the vacuum of space. “My Lady, we've known each other for years without knowing our real identities. You've never wanted to know, and I've always respected that.” He sighed shakily, suddenly feeling as if the void was returning what it took. “All I've ever wanted was to be your friend.”  _ Or more _ , he added mentally. 

“You  _ are _ my friend,  _ chaton _ ,” she assured him, reaching out to touch him. He moved away.

“Let’s get on with patrol, okay? I'll take that way.”

Ladybug stood. “Chat, listen,” she said, but he had already launched himself off the roof. She balled her fists and looked up at the night sky. There were fewer clouds than there had been for days, and for once, it didn't look like it was going to rain. 

It seemed to be getting harder and harder to keep the lives of Ladybug and Marinette separate. Part of her (a petty part) blamed Alya. But she knew it was her own fault. She had been forcefully shoving a wedge between Ladybug and Chat Noir for years. 

She wondered why it seemed to be irritating him more now than it used to. Were things worse because she acknowledged her feelings for him? How long had things been changing between them? Was he just in a bad mood? 

Maybe it was because she had consistently failed him lately. Maybe she needed to show him that he was her partner and not just a punching bag for akumas. 

Her patrol was lonely and quiet without him, but it went much faster than usual. She found him sitting motionless on her balcony, his ears flat against his head. His eyes scrunched in confusion when she landed in front of him, but he said nothing.

“I heard you come here sometimes,” she explained, as if she had been looking for him. It pained her that she hadn't.

“Alya?” He averted his eyes.

“Maybe I just like to keep tabs on you.” She sat down next to him. “Is your friend not home?” She asked, knowing the answer.

“Might be downstairs.”

“Chat, listen,” Ladybug said, threading her arm through his so he couldn't escape again. He stiffened, but she carried on, “I've only learned that Alya knows who I am pretty recently. Like maybe a week or two?”

“Oh.”

“And it's not that I don't ever want to know who you are. It's just… scary. I've told you before that real life me is awkward and clumsy and a lot different from superhero me. I'm sure real life you is different, too.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“I just worry. I don't want to accidentally put you or your loved ones - or me and mine - at risk because of our identities. Hawkmoth has been more determined than ever, and that scares me. Especially because… I think he might be targeting  _ you _ .”

Chat finally turned to look at her. “If that were the case, wouldn't it be better to know who I am?” 

“You might be right. And I think we should definitely talk about this more. But for now, I think Alya knowing both of us is great.” She squeezed his arm. “I hope you don't mind that I've asked her to check up on you a few times.” 

“Why?”

“Because I worry about you, you silly cat. You need to stop letting akumas beat you up.” She rested her cheek on his shoulder. 

He snorted. “I'm not letting them, they just do. I think I'm starting to take it personally.”

“Are you still injured from this morning?”

“Bruised and tired but okay. Are you okay from last night?”

“Yep! I'm sorry I worried you. Although, it could be considered payback for all of your silly stunts. You like to throw yourself at danger, and sometimes it's… alarming.”

“All part of the job.” He leaned his head against the top of hers. “It's been a rough summer so far, huh?”

“Yeah, it has. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted.”

“Same. Sorry for snapping at you earlier. I didn't mean to.” 

“You know it IS okay to complain once in awhile, right? Even about me.”

They sat together in silence for a few minutes before Ladybug shifted, pulling away. “I need to get going. Are you going to wait for your friend?”

Chat shook his head. “No. I think it's too late now. I'm gonna go home and sleep for days.” He pulled Ladybug into a tight hug. “Later, Bug.”

Ladybug waited until she saw him disappear into the horizon before she detransformed and dropped into her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU for reading!!! I hope you're enjoying it so far! I love feedback, so feel free to leave it! Find me on tumblr - my username is foldingthepage. :3c


	24. Lockdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya and Nino are slowly going mad while their friends are increasingly sleep deprived. Nobody is surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My life is crazy recently, kids. My phone is on its last leg, I can't get Tumblr to work, my tv broke, my mom was in the hospital, I was trying to get a surgery (I'm putting it off for a bit now), my anxiety has reached new levels, I'm going through my rebellious teens even though I'm in my late twenties, and I'm trying to move west before winter hits the mountains. Also I have to get a job when I get there (adulthood is expensive omg).
> 
> In other news, I've learned to crochet! Helps the anxiety a bit.
> 
> Enjoy this sort of domestic chapter. :3

Alya hit Nino with a pillow until he woke up groaning.

“Did you notice what time our cat came slinking home last night?” She asked, her tone stern and demanding.

“No, babe… we are not his parents. We are his bad influences, remember?” Nino took the pillow and cuddled it, rolling away from his girlfriend and hoping to go back to sleep. He wanted to sleep through his day off, if possible.

She huffed lightly. “I didn't mean it like that. I'm just worried. I got up to get coffee and check the news feeds, and there's an akuma. He and Mari are fighting an akuma again this morning.”

Cracking open an eye, Nino glanced back at her. “Alya? Why aren't you off filming the akuma like the crazed reporter I know you are?”

“Because we are trapped inside the apartment building, Nino. The akuma is apparently locking all doors and windows in the city because their keys got locked in their car this morning.”

“Man. That's… how does Hawkmoth even find these people? Like, was this person the only person who was upset in the whole city? Does he zone in on one area for a while like he seemed to do back when we were in college? Or like… does he just… I dunno… find especially vulnerable upset people instead of less vulnerable upset people?”

“Do I look like Encyclopedia Hawkmoth?”

“You look like you have a several-year-old blog dedicated to the superheroes who fight him, so… kind of.”

“Go back to sleep. I can worry about our friends more effectively by myself.”

Nino stretched and sat up. “Nope. I'm awake now. We get to share that joy together. And besides, I smell coffee, and now I NEED it.”

Adrien stumbled in while his roommates were eating breakfast. He blinked at them as Plagg zipped from his pocket to the fridge for cheese.

“Hey, man,” Nino greeted. “You look exhausted.”

“I used cataclysm three times today,” Adrien replied, as if that explained everything.

Voice muffled, Plagg cried, “THREE TIMES,” from the fridge. “IT WAS AWFUL.”

Alya pushed a chair out with her foot. “Have a seat. And a waffle.” After Adrien sat down, stiffly, she asked casually, “How’s Ladybug?”

He blinked at the waffle Nino put in front of him. “Ladybug?” He repeated.

“Yeah. You know, red and black spandex? Runs around. Fights akumas and crime with you?”

“Seemed okay,” he answered vaguely. His brain seemed to finish processing whatever it had been buffering, and he picked up a fork to eat the waffle.

Alya rolled her eyes and looked at Nino, who frowned worriedly. “Adrien,” she said, “what on earth happened out there today?”

“I got trapped in a car. And then a… storage unit? And Ladybug got stuck in a service van. The Locksmith locked everything down so tight we could only escape with cataclysm.”

Nino snickered. “That's actually kind of funny, dude.”

“You can laugh. Ladybug is usually much more locky than we were this morning.” Adrien smiled tiredly. Nino’s expression flatlined.

“Have you ever used cataclysm that much before?” Alya asked, completely ignoring Adrien’s bad pun. “There's usually like five minutes after you use a power until you transform back, right?” Alya asked.

“Once or twice. I don't know. It's hard on me and Plagg to keep transforming like that.”

Plagg floated to the table. He looked more disgruntled than usual. “I hate it when this happens. It's the worst. We only had enough cheese for the first time. The second time, the kid had to run over three blocks to find a place that had subpar cheese for me to be able to transform him back. Ladybug is lucky he's fast, or she’d have been stuck a lot longer.”

Adrien scratched Plagg’s head. “Sorry, buddy. Hopefully we get to take it easy the rest of the day.”

“Tell them what Ladybug said,” Plagg demanded.

“About what?”

“Last night. About Hawkmoth.”

“Oh.” Adrien sighed, pouring more syrup on his waffle. It was drowning. “LB thinks Hawkmoth has been having his akumas target me specifically, and she seems worried about it.” He shrugged.

Nino and Alya stared at him for a solid minute before Nino managed to speak. “Dude.”

Adrien glanced up, surprised at the sudden silence. “What?”

“You can't just… say something like that so… what’s the word I’m looking for here, babe?”

“Casually,” Alya supplied.

“Yeah. You can't just say something like that so casually, dude. It's… weird.”

“How would you like me to say it?” Adrien’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Plagg snorted. “Like you are concerned that the big bad is targeting you specifically over Ladybug and he has CLEARLY been experimenting with his akumas’ powers.”

“What Plagg said.” Nino nodded. “Some concern for your own well-being would be nice.”

Adrien laughed. “Oh! Well, I'm not actually sure if Ladybug is right or if she's just… reading a bit into things? Sometimes she does that.”

“Okay, you're not wrong there,” Alya admitted. “But Adrien, you’ve been taking some pretty hard hits lately. Ladybug is right to be worried. We are ALL worried.”

Adrien’s eyes softened. “Thanks, guys. I'll try to be more careful.”

Nino dropped his forehead to the table. “DUDE.”

“What!?”

“That's your ‘placate everyone’ voice. I can't believe you just used that on us!”

Adrien opened his mouth, but Alya put a hand over it before he could speak. “Honey, we know you're gonna keep taking risks. You do what you do, and you're good at it. We just want you to know that we’re worried. And you don't have to pretend anything with us, okay? We are here for you.” She removed her hand from his mouth and sat back.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

Nino put his face in his hands. “DUDE. You don't have to be sorry, either.”

Plagg cackled as Adrien’s face contracted in confusion again.

“What do you want from me, man?” Adrien asked.

“Mostly, we want you to get some rest,” Nino said, laughing. “This is getting ridiculous.”

Alya took Adrien’s now empty plate. “I'm gonna do some research to see if Hawkmoth really is targeting you or not. You go sleep. We’ll wake you up if anything exciting happens.”

“Yeah, dude. Hopefully Hawkmoth is done for the day. You look like a zombie.”

“Thanks, Nino.” Adrien patted Nino’s shoulder with sleepy affection before wandering to his room and closing the door.

Nino and Alya shared a look. He shook his head, and she laughed. And then they both looked toward Adrien’s room when they heard his piano keyboard.

“Maybe he’s too tired to sleep,” Nino muttered, rubbing his forehead. Alya tried and failed to hold back more laughter. “Is my hair turning grey?” he asked. “I feel like my hair's turning grey.”

“Pfft, you're too young for that,” Alya replied. “I get the feeling, though. At least Marinette slept most of yesterday. How this kid hasn't gotten himself killed yet is beyond me.”

Nino nodded. He was almost starting to sympathize with Gabriel’s overprotective desire to put Adrien under house arrest and give him a bodyguard. As much as he disliked the man, he did try to keep his son safe (in extreme ways at the cost of his son’s emotional wellbeing, but still, he did try). If Gabriel knew that Adrien was Chat Noir, Nino was pretty sure the man would hunt down Hawkmoth and defeat him himself. And probably lock Adrien away in a tower or something to keep him safe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!! I hope you're enjoying the fic so far. Lots more to come!!! <3 Feedback is very appreciated!!!!


	25. Hawkdad is Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hawkmoth Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter but kind of ...necessary? Eh? It happened, so here it is. :3
> 
> (Two chapter updates in two days!? "What, my dear Pages, is happening?" you ask. "Anxiety writing," I answer.)

Gabriel, as it happened, did know that his son was Chat Noir. As long as Adrien had lived under his roof (and followed most of his rules), Gabriel was perfectly happy to let his son believe he was saving the city from the evil supervillain Hawkmoth.

Hawkmoth could have taken Chat Noir’s miraculous at any time because he almost always knew exactly where it was. He didn't take it, though; he needed his son’s connection to Ladybug to be able to capture hers. The ladybug miraculous was the most important of the two, and without it, he might as well let his son play with the black cat’s. It cost him nothing and saved him the trouble of dealing with an upset Adrien.

However, now that Adrien had demanded independence and moved out, Gabriel felt as though his hand had been forced. He needed those miraculous, and he knew that his son (who made his feelings on the subject very clear) would not willingly return to the Agreste household or company. So he had to resort to extreme measures to try to drive him home.

Targeting Ladybug over Chat Noir would be a mistake: while Ladybug held the most important miraculous, Chat Noir held the most dangerous. Gabriel did not doubt that his son would fight viciously and ruthlessly against anyone who would dare hurt his partner. Gabriel wouldn't blame him for that - it was something they had in common.

Gabriel was trying to wear down his son, to get him to feel as alone and exhausted and betrayed as Gabriel felt.

The problem with this plan was Adrien’s small, close-knit friend group. Despite Gabriel (or TO spite Gabriel), Adrien managed to make lasting friendships with people who seem to genuinely care about him. It wasn't that Gabriel didn't want his son to have friends - he wanted his son to have the right kind of friends. He couldn't support the kind of people that Adrien chose to associate with.

It was infuriating. Not only had Gabriel lost his only child, he lost the face of his company, his heir, AND he lost the black cat miraculous.

He should have taken it years ago.

He should have done a lot of things, but the past was the past, and the only way to fix that was with Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s miraculous powers combined. And he would have that. Nothing else mattered.

He reached out into the city with his mind, searching for distraught people in need of Hawkmoth’s special kind of service. He was in the mood to experiment today, and for a moment, he focused in on a couple in the middle of a lover’s quarrel.

They would have been perfect, if he could manage it.

He had yet to manage to akumatize two people at the same time, but he felt he was getting closer to that goal. Because he put so much negative energy into his butterflies, which were not originally meant to be evil, it was difficult to create many akumas in succession, let alone simultaneously.

He smiled when he found someone he could take advantage of. A teenager whose summer vacation plans were ruined by a death in the family.

Gently cupping a butterfly in his palms, he channeled as much negative energy as he could into it. If he focused on the powers he wanted to give to his victims, he could have almost complete control. But sometimes, his akumas’ powers surprised even him.

Today, he wanted to be surprised. Today was all about power - quantity over quality. He released the purple butterfly and waited for it to find its target.

“Hello, Joan,” he greeted. He could sense the turmoil in her mind, the confusion upon hearing his voice. “I am Hawkmoth,” he explained, “and I can help ease your frustration, as long as you get me what I want.”

“And what do you want?”

“Chat Noir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!! I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Feedback is appreciated and keeps me alive.


	26. Shear Clumsiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya visits Marinette to discuss important things, and Marinette continues to be Marinette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys SO MUCH for all of your comments and kudos and subscriptions. I am so thrilled you like this story, especially since I have so much fun writing it. You bring me joy.

“Okay, so what if Hawkmoth is someone that Chat Noir actually KNOWS?” Alya asked Marinette from the chaise in Marinette’s room. Alya had come over to discuss her Hawkmoth research and was not at all surprised to find her best friend making a disaster of her room as she started on a new project. 

Between all of the akumas and starting summer classes in the coming week, Marinette was stressed and needed to focus on something she liked in order to occupy her anxious mind. Alya carefully didn’t mention that Adrien was doing the same thing. 

“Why would you think that?” Marinette frowned.  She turned her dress form so she could see Alya while she pinned fabric. 

“Well, you think Hawkmoth is targeting him, right?” 

“Yeah, but we’ve been fighting Hawkmoth a long time. He might just be changing his strategy. He does do that from time to time.” Marinette grimaced as she pricked her finger. 

“Okay, okay. I just thought it would be easier to narrow the search a bit, you know? From the entire city to like a few hundred people?” Alya posted an akuma-sightings map video from YouTube onto the LadyBlog, making sure to credit its creator and give her usual shout out to the heroes who kept the city relatively safe. Maybe she could get some helpful feedback from her followers. 

“It's not really easier if you're looking at the wrong few hundred people, is it?” Marinette smirked.

Alya sighed. “Okay, smartie pants. Who’s doing the research for you, again? Oh. That’s right. It’s me.” She grinned when Marinette tried (and failed) to look apologetic. 

They sat in companionable silence for a while - Marinette occasionally humming about her dress and Alya making frustrated noises at her phone as she attempted to compile data about Hawkmoth’s identity. 

There were so many theories floating around that it was overwhelmingly useless to consult them. Was he the mayor? The deputy mayor trying to overthrow the mayor? Was he a geeky edge lord given superpowers to live out his fantasies as a villain? Was he someone Ladybug and Chat Noir invented so Paris would need them? Was he a product of the city’s collective consciousness while akumas were manifestations of its excess negative energy? 

Alya would have to go above and beyond if she wanted to figure this out. She groaned and stuffed her phone under a pillow. “Girl, my brain already hurts,” she whined. “Let’s go out and do something.”

Marinette made a face. “I refuse to get out of my pajamas unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’m tired, and I’m not leaving this room. You can put on a movie or something if you want, though.”

Alya sat in Marinette’s desk chair and browsed her movie collection. Nothing appealed to her but some detective movies that would definitely just remind her how she needed to get to work on her own mystery. She spun in a circle and stopped abruptly when she found Marinette’s sketchbook. She loved seeing her friend’s work.

“I’m gonna look at your designs,” she announced, opening the book and flipping toward the middle, near the last designs she saw. “Girl, you’ve sure been thinking about Chat lately, haven’t you?” The latest pages were filled with sleek black and green outfits and pawprint accessories.

Marinette dropped a pair of scissors on her foot. “Ouch! Ow!” She dropped to the floor, rocked onto her back, and clutched her foot in her hands. “Oh, wow. That hurt.” 

“Marinette! Are you okay?” Tiki squeaked, flying worriedly around her Chosen.

“Do you need ice?” Alya asked, getting up to go get some.

Tentatively, Marinette opened her hands and looked at her injury. “Um… actually? I think I might need stitches.” She whined, feeling warm blood oozing in her hands. The wound stung, but it wasn’t as painful as she thought it looked. Maybe she just had a high pain tolerance.  

Alya’s eyebrows raised. “Dang, girl. Okay, I’ll get you a towel to wrap that in, and then we’ll get you to the hospital.”

Minutes later, Marinette’s foot was securely wrapped up, Alya had carried her piggyback style down to the bakery, and they had explained to Marinette’s parents (who were not even a little surprised) what happened. And poor, tired Marinette, still in her pajamas, went to the ER to get four little stitches in her foot. Tiki came along in Alya’s purse.

Marinette was already embarrassed by her own clumsiness, so when she discovered that Alya had texted both Nino AND Adrien about it, her face turned so red that one of the nurses asked if she had a sunburn. She felt like she might, especially when Nino and [literal sunshine] Adrien showed up at the hospital with flowers and concern. Alya was wheeling Marinette toward the exist when they arrived.

“Guys, it wasn’t super serious,” she said as she accepted a bouquet of daisies from Adrien. She ducked her head, trying to hide her burning face.

“We know,” Nino assured her, “but my man Adrien here decided that you HAD to have flowers.” He patted Adrien on the back.

Adrien blushed slightly. “That is part of a hospital experience, right? You’re supposed to get flowers.”

Alya laughed. “Yeah, sure - if you have surgery or  you’re sick and have to stay in the hospital a while.”

“Stitches count!” Adrien defended himself. “They’re like a tiny surgery!”

Marinette squeaked into her flowers. “Th-thank you, Adrien. I l-love them. You’re a g-good friend.” She peeked up at him through her hair and smiled, and his face lit up in response. She groaned internally. Just when she thought she moved past loving him, something happened to make her fall for him again. How was he so precious and thoughtful and kind?

“Suck up,” Alya said, sticking her tongue out at Adrien.

Adrien’s smile became devious. “Do you need me to carry you, Mari?” he asked, entirely too sweetly. “How are you going to walk with such an injury?”

Marinette thought she might die. She went to the hospital for stitches, not heart surgery, but the way her heart was pounding in her chest, she might need that too.

“With crutches, dummy,” Alya told him, slapping his hands away from the wheelchair. “The nurse has them right there, see?”

Marinette silently thanked Alya for her interference. She wasn’t sure she could handle getting swept up into the arms of Adrien Agreste. She thought briefly of Chat and how he had carried her (or she had carried him) multiple times a week, and it never mattered to her the way the simple  _ possibility _ of Adrien holding her did. She wondered which man she truly cared for. Why couldn’t her feelings be simple!?

“Here you go, Mari.” Nino took the crutches from the nurse and helped Marinette use them. Alya took her flowers and continued to tease Adrien mercilessly for bringing them. 

Marinette looked at Nino with gratitude as he helped guide her out of the hospital. “You’re my favorite now.”

“WHAT!?” Alya and Adrien practically shouted in unison.

The taxi ride back to Marinette’s was silent as the friends pretended to be angry at each other, but they burst into laughter as soon as they arrived. Despite the morning akuma and the stitches, Marinette’s Saturday wasn’t bad. 

At least, not until after her friends went home for the evening and she was falling asleep early for once.

Wind rattling her skylight woke her up. “Tiki?” She called. “What’s happening?”

Tiki flew up to the window and looked out. “Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh? Why uh-oh!?”

“Marinette, it’s snowing.”

“IT’S JUNE!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit short (again), but that's because next chapter is (you guessed it) an akuma battle, and I thought this chapter was probably nicer on its own.
> 
> THANK YOU FOR READING! I hope you're enjoying the fic so far. Feedback is very much appreciated, so feel free to leave comments!


	27. A Cold Day in June

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah, an akuma. Some violence, some angst. You know the drill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is it wrong to write a chapter while really looking forward to several chapters AFTER it? I feel like I’m emotionally cheating on it.

June or not, it was snowing, and that could only mean one of two things: a major cold front had suddenly moved in, or an akuma was wreaking havoc. And since it was wonderfully warm earlier, it was probably an akuma. Marinette whined. She and Chat just couldn’t seem to get a break lately.

“Maybe the weather is just being weird,” she said hopefully. “That happens sometimes, right?” Her phone beeped with a Ladyblog alert, and then it started ringing.

“Hey, Alya,” Marinette answered glumly.

“Mari! An akuma has been spotted on Pont Notre-Dame. Are you gonna be okay to fight it?”

Marinette looked at her recently bandaged foot and sighed. “I guess I have to be,” she muttered. “Pont Notre-Dame?”

“Yeah. I don’t have a lot of details on it yet. I think it’s causing the snow. And Chat Noir has already gone after it.”

“Okay, thanks, Alya. Gotta go.”

Marinette heard Alya yell, “Be careful!” as she hung up.

“I’m sorry, Marinette,” Tikki said, her voice soothing. “I know your foot hurts, but we need to take care of this akuma before it gets out of control.”

Reluctantly, Marinette nodded and called for her transformation. Fortunately, Tikki’s power helped significantly ease the pain in her foot, so she was able to stand and even run on it.

Standing on her balcony, she surveyed the city, which was already covered in a thin layer of white. It was always weird when an akuma could affect such a large area, and Marinette shivered as sharp winds whipped around her slight form. She blinked snowflakes from her eyelashes and frowned. This was not going to be a fun battle, and she hadn’t even seen the akuma yet.

She met Chat Noir on the Pont Notre-Dame. The bridge was already icy, and she slipped a little when she landed. Chat caught her arm, and with a smile, said, “just slide right in, my lady.”

“Ice see what you did there,” Ladybug retorted. “Weather akuma?” She asked, looking around for Hawkmoth’s latest champion.

He laughed, a little more nervously than she would have liked. “Not quite. She’s… a little more ice-iting than that.”

“Worst pun ever. And what do you mean?”

“I mean, on my way here, I passed several unfurtunate citicens weeping dramatically.”

“Oh, good. Sounds like a fun one.”

The snowfall increased, and the two superheroes stood back to back to better watch for their opponent. As the storm worsened into a blizzard, Ladybug pressed herself against Chat’s back for warmth.

Usually, weather changes affected Ladybug and Chat Noir very little or not at all, but this magical weather was different. Ladybug could feel her jaw start to chatter.

“Cold, my Lady?”

Ladybug rolled her eyes, even though he couldn’t see her. She knew what he was going to ask next. “I’m not going to snuggle with you, Chat.”

“Eh, well. Too late for that anyway. I see the akuma!”

Ladybug turned quickly, pressing herself against his side. Her numb fingers gripped her yo-yo as Chat twirled his baton in his. A fight would hopefully warm them up.

A dark form seemed to materialize amidst the swirling snow. Her black dress billowed out around her, and the snow near her person turned gray, like ash. She extended her arm slowly, pointing a finger at the superheroes. Her long, draping sleeve fluttered violently.

“Chat Noir,” she said, her voice strangely hollow and echoing, “this is the end.” The wind lifted her high off the ground, and she spread her arms wide.

Chills ran up Ladybug’s spine as if someone had walked over her grave, and she felt Chat shudder.

“The end of what, exactly?” He asked. “Summer? Are you trying to freeze my tail off?”

Long icicles formed in the air in an arch above the akuma, and with a sweeping gesture - swinging her arms forward, sleeves, gown, and hair billowing in the wind - she sent the icicles racing toward the superheroes. They lept out of the way, dodging potentially deadly ice.

“Oh, THAT kind of end,” Chat said. “Why? What did I ever do to you?”

“You have the power of misfortune, destruction, and death,” the akuma replied. “Those are responsible for what happened.”

Chat tilted his head. “Okay, so it’s not personal, then?”

Ladybug flung her yo-yo toward the akuma. “Just because those are his powers doesn’t mean it’s his fault bad things happened to you! He uses his powers for good, not evil!”

“Thanks, LB. Frosty here needs a lesson about how our powers work, I think.”

“I am Frosted Heart!” the akuma bellowed. “And I will avenge the death of my aunt!” She summoned more icicles.

“We figured out the frosted part fine, thanks,” Chat replied. “We’re kind of frosted now, too.”

“A good fight will warm us up, kitty,” Ladybug quipped, dodging the icicle attack.

“I can think of much better ways to warm up, Bugaboo,” Chat said. She could hear the hint of a complaint in his voice even though the line was flirty.

“Of course you can.” She rolled her eyes.

“I wouldn’t say no to a mug of hot cocoa right now, that’s for sure.”

“Oh gosh, me either.”

“ENOUGH!” Frosted Heart shouted, flinging more icicles their way. In her rage, the wind increased, and she became a veritable tornado of snow and ash.

Ladybug couldn’t get to her, couldn’t hear Chat over the sound of the wind and the chattering of her own teeth. He extended his baton into the tornado. Almost comically, it caught and the tornado swept him along with it. He became a black and blond blur in the white and gray.

Ladybug tried to lasso him with her yo-yo, but the wind was too strong, and he was moving too fast. She shouted in vain.

He must have extended his baton even further into the tornado because he stopped moving abruptly, baton vibrating as he clung to it.

The tornado dissipated, leaving a stunned akuma clutching the other end of Chat’s baton. Frosted Heart blinked in surprise and then grinned manically. A gray snowball formed in one of her hands.

Ladybug lassoed Chat Noir and yanked him away. His baton flung out of both his and the akuma’s hands and landed nearby, rolling toward the balustrade.

“You okay, kitty?” Ladybug asked. He had a strange, unfocused look on his face and a slightly green tinge.

“Dizzy with happiness,” he joked, putting a hand on her shoulder to steady himself.

“I’ve never known you to get motion sick.”

“I’ve never been in so much motion before.”

Frosted Heart began throwing ash snowballs at them. Ladybug grabbed Chat’s arm and flung him out of the way. She leapt in the opposite direction, dodging snowballs.

Angry, Frosted Heart summoned more icicles. Ladybug could see her focusing on Chat, so she grabbed his baton from the ground and yelled.

“Chaton, catch!” She hurled the baton toward her partner, who jumped up to catch it right as Frosted Heart released her icicle attack.

Ladybug felt everything slow down: Chat leaping, icicles flying. Her own voice warning him to look out. It was too late.

Her heart stopped as an icicle pierced through Chat Noir’s chest, just above his heart. Surprise registered on his face. The force of the attack thrust the already airborne superhero over the balustrade, and suddenly he was falling.

Ladybug felt frozen in place, the numbness in her body unrelated to the cold around her. The sound of Chat’s surprised yelp snapped her out of it, and she raced to try to catch him before he hit the water. She reached the balustrade in time to hear thin ice breaking. He was already being swallowed up by the cold river.

“Without your cat, what are you going to do, Ladybug?” Frosted Heart asked. “Do you feel my pain now?”

Ladybug clenched her fists. “He’ll be fine,” she said icily. “Unlike you. Tell Hawkmoth he’ll never get what he wants.”

“You’re right,” Frosted Heart replied, a smirk crossing her mascara stained face. “He wanted the cat alive. I wanted the cat dead.”

“What?” Ladybug paused. She’d never heard of an akuma so purposefully disobeying Hawkmoth.

“I don’t care what Hawkmoth wants. I want everyone to feel my pain!” Frosted Heart hit the distracted Ladybug right in the face with an ash snowball.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! I hope you’re enjoying the story so far. I love feedback, so please leave all the kudos/comments/unintelligible screaming that you want!!


	28. Waterlogged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat lives!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY. Definitely did not mean to leave you guys with that cliffhanger for so long. Here’s a short follow-up to alleviate that stress. Love you. :3c

Chat Noir realized he was sinking; the light above him floated further and further away. He felt as though he should go toward it, but he also remembered the “don’t go toward the light” rule, so he did nothing. He watched the shimmering light fade away.

_Swim, kid!_ A voice inside his head insisted. Plagg’s voice. _For the love of everything, SWIM._

Chat moved his arms, and then his legs, and suddenly, he was swimming. He could feel a current pushing him, so he swam with it, heading down river even as he swam toward the light at the surface.

The surface was a problem: for some reason, he couldn’t get through. A relatively thin layer of ice had formed over the river, and he was too far downstream from where he fell in to get out that way. Lungs burning, Chat clawed at the ice before mentally summoning his cataclysm and attacking the ice with fear-induced urgency.

That cataclysm broke all of the ice over the river - spreading black quickly along its white surface and shattering it into snow.

He gasped for air as soon as his head rose above the water, and he choked on foul-tasting water that entered his mouth as he bobbed up and down. Ice began reforming, and he swam for his life. His arms and legs were numb from the cold water, but he forced them to move anyway.

“Chat Noir!” Alya shouted. She stood along the riverbank. “Nino, I found him!”

Suddenly, hands were pulling him out of the river. He struggled to help them - latching his claws into the ground and pulling with as much strength as he could. His left arm seemed weak.

Soon, he was out of the river, coughing up disgusting river water, and he was COLD. In the water, he could barely feel it, but exposed to the air, to Frosted Heart’s blizzard, he was colder than he had ever been. He heard his jaw clattering before he felt it. And then he heard his ring beep.

“I brought a coat, here,” Nino was saying. They had pulled him from the water and huddled together beneath a bridge. It sheltered them somewhat from the blizzard. Everything was white.

“Don’t put it on him yet! There’s water on his suit. Wait till he transforms back. Chat, claws in.”

“C-c-claws…”

“No, don’t! Alya, he’s injured!”

“It’ll be fine, it’s not as bad as it looks,” Alya argued.

“It looks like he got stabbed in the chest!”

“He’s going to detransform anyway, Nino! Look at his ring! I’ve got cheese for Plagg. Let’s make it happen. Chat, look at us please.”

“C-c-c-clawsss i-in,” Chat mumbled, his teeth _chat_ tering. He snickered at himself as he was enveloped in bright green light. Alya caught Plagg as Nino wrapped Adrien tightly in the coat.

“S-so c-cold.” Plagg shivered in Alya’s hand.

“Too cold for cheese?” She asked, holding up a bag with cheese in it.

“N-never! F-feed m-me.” He reached out with grabby paws, and Alya gently dumped him into the bag.

Dropping his transformation felt a bit like taking off a coat after coming in from the cold - it didn’t warm him up, but it certainly felt less like he was freezing. Nino rubbed Adrien’s arms, and slowly, Adrien felt himself coming back to reality.

He almost just drowned. He got stabbed in the chest with a giant icicle and then almost drowned in the frozen river.

He chest hurt near his shoulder, and as he started to focus on it, it began to throb. He groaned.

“We got you, bro,” Nino said. “You’re okay.”

“L-ladybug?” Adrien asked. He hoped she was okay. He remembered seeing the color drain from her face as he fell. Everything had felt so surreal.

“She, uh…” Alya peeked into the cheese bag, where Plagg was still noisily stuffing himself.

“Alya?” Adrien sat up, gently pushing Nino away. “Did something happen to Ladybug?”

“We had to chase you down river,” Alya stated, as if this explained everything. “We thought you were going to drown.”

“So you don’t know about Ladybug? She’s still fighting the akuma?”

Alya grimaced, and Nino’s face became even more somber. “Bro, she got hit with one of those gray snowballs right after you fell.”

“What?” Adrien didn’t understand what they were telling him. What did the snowball do? Was Ladybug okay? Did his carelessness get her injured or worse?

“She is possessed by the akuma?” Alya said, her pitch rising in discomfort. “She looks like the rest of the mourners the akuma has left behind.”

Adrien stared at his friends, his wide eyes darting between them in disbelief. How could this happen? How could he let this happen? It could have been so much worse, he supposed. She could have been hurt, thrown into the river, frozen alive. But it was still not good. How could he free his lady from the akuma’s control? Would he have to defeat the akuma alone?

“Thanks for the rescue, guys,” Adrien said suddenly, shaking off his anxiety and pulling them into a group hug. He had a Ladybug to save. “Plagg, claws out!”

“I’m not ready!” Plagg wailed, to no avail as he was sucked into the ring. After a bright green flash, Chat Noir gave a two-fingered salute and lept away.

Nino put his face in his hands. Alya patted his back. “Our friends are idiots,” she said gently. “But at least they’re good-hearted idiots who save Paris.”

“Ugh. Alya. Why.”

“Let’s sneak back that way and keep an eye on them?”

Nino sighed, and they trudged back toward the battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m having surgery Friday, so it might be a bit before I post again (or it might not, you never know). Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you’re enjoying the fic so far! Feedback is ALWAYS appreciated (show me love, show me life).


	29. Feeling Frosty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir saves his lady... sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my long absence, and thank you so very much for all of your kind words!!! (My surgery went really well, and I’m recovering nicely)
> 
> This chapter isn’t exactly what I’d hoped it would be, but it’s something, and that’s better than nothing. I hope you like it!

Ignoring the throbbing pain in his chest (duller now thanks to his transformation), Chat Noir charged ahead at full speed. His lady was in trouble, and it was his responsibility to protect her.

Snow whirled furiously, limiting his field of vision, but he knew where he was going: he was going back to where he fell, where he last saw his lady. If she wasn’t there anymore, it would still be a sensible place to start searching for her.

The snow deepened beneath his feet as he approached the bridge, and he slowed. His cat ears twitched, listening. Ice crackled in the river, awnings groaned under the weight of snow, wind whistled somewhere above him, and mournful wailing from Frosted Heart’s victims came from all around him. He shivered as cold bit into him through his suit.

Where was Frosted Heart? Trying to make himself less noticeable, Chat crouched down next to a lamp post. He closed his eyes and focused on the sounds and smells of the street around him. The cries of Frosted Heart’s victims broke his heart, but he listened intently for any clues. Suddenly, he heard his own name being yelled among the mostly incoherent wailing. His eyes snapped open. 

“Ladybug,” he breathed, and her name came out in a white puff of warm air. He followed the sound of her voice and found her within minutes.

She was hard to recognize: transformed by Frosted Heart’s magic into a mourner, Ladybug wore loose black clothing with a heavy draping veil covering most of her small frame. She knelt in the snow and rocked back and forth, alternately crying and yelling. She had been there so long that snow was gathering on her clothes. If the blizzard kept up, she would be buried in snow soon. 

“Ladybug?” Chat asked, tentatively putting a flawed hand on her shoulder. She jerked away, sobs wracking her body. 

“My lady,” Chat said more firmly, grabbing both of her shoulders and holding on. “My lady, I’ve come to rescue you.” He smiled a little, knowing how much that would have annoyed her if she wasn’t actually in need of rescuing.

She cried so loudly that his cat ears flattened out on his head. In a panic, he threw the veil up off her face (usually in his dreams the veil he pulled from her face was white, but he tried not to think about that), and he sat back in shock.  
Beneath the veil, Ladybug still wore a mask, but it had transformed. Solid black, it spread further down her face as though her tears had smeared it. Her lips, normally pink with overused lipgloss, were cracked and sported faded black lipstick.

“Ladybug?” Chat swallowed hard, guilt and worry pooling in his stomach.  
Bloodshot blue eyes met his. “You’re dead,” she told him, her voice cracking.

“You died. You left me.”

“What?” He frowned. “No! No, I would never leave you. Look, I’m alive. See?” He flexed his arms, grimacing as pain shot through his left arm and his shoulder began to throb again. “Never better.”

“You’re dead. I watched you die!”  
“This cat has eight more lives left, my lady.” Chat felt his heart breaking as she stared at him. Tears streamed freely down her face, smearing her transformed mask even further down her cheeks. 

Taking Ladybug’s face in his hands, he whispered, “I’m alive, my lady. I’m here.” He felt his voice crack and felt like he would start sympathy crying with her soon. At least Hawkmoth couldn’t get her Miraculous while she was like this.

Suddenly he remembered Ladybug telling him years ago that she once snapped him out of an akuma spell by giving him a kiss. He wondered if any spell could be broken with a kiss. Focusing on her trembling lips, he slowly inclined his head. He didn’t know what else to do, he told himself. 

“Chat Noir, you’re supposed to be dead,” Frosted Heart snarled from behind him.  
Startled, Chat slipped backwards in the snow and blinked at Ladybug. Did he really almost just kiss her? She’s not even _her_ right now.

Readying his baton, he whirled to face Frosted Heart. “Cats have nine lives, frosty. You need to try harder than that!”   
One of Hawkmoth’s purple butterflies formed over Frosted Heart’s face. “You gave me these powers, Hawkmoth,” she said with a sneer. “Try to take them away before you suffer like I did.”

“It sounds like your relationship with Hawkmoth is a bit chilly,” Chat quipped. “I’ve never warmed up to the guy myself, so we have that in common. We should be friends!” He grinned brightly and then blanched as she summoned her icicle weapons. He didn’t want to be a Chat-cicle again. Chat-kebob. Skewer Noir. 

He turned tail and ran, scooping up Ladybug on his way. He ducked and weaved behind every lamppost, mailbox, and statue he could find as Frosted Heart pursued them. Icicles smashed dangerously close. 

“I’m sorry, LB,” he whispered. “I’m gonna have to find her akumatized item before we become muracul-iced.” Gently resting his possessed partner on the cold ground, he braced himself for an ugly battle.

Impulsively, he planted a kiss on the top of her veiled head. For luck, he told himself as he ran headlong at what he hoped wouldn’t be his doom. His shoulder throbbed, but he ignored it.

His lady, the city of Paris, and apparently his literal life depended on him winning this akuma battle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I appreciate all comments/concerns/art/incoherent screaming, so feel free to leave feedback! I hope you’re enjoying the story so far!


End file.
